John 3:16-21
New Living Translation (NLT)
16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
Not long ago I sat in my car listening to a sermon on the radio. The exact text escapes me now, but the gist of the message was this, “ if we are in worship about to offer up a gift to God and suddenly remember a disagreement or argument that has not been settled with a friend, then we are to wait on giving God the gift until we have settled matters with our friend. It is only after we have made amends with our friend that God will accept our gift.”
Taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, these instructions form the “Perfect Guide to Gift Giving”. It would seem Jesus was saying that it wasn’t the thing but the thought, or more specifically, relationships are more important than sales slips. This school of thought can be found all the way back to Old Testament, where gifts were given and received with a symbolic reverence.
Rebekah received gifts of clothing and jewelry to symbolize her receiving Isaac as her husband. The wily Jacob tried to bribe his brother Esau into forgiving him of all the wrongs he had committed on his brother in their youth. Bribes Esau flatly refused. Later on Jacob would again cause family turmoil when he gave his favorite son, Joseph, a flashy coat of many colors. The Magi are probably the most famous gift givers next to God, with the prophetic gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Rebekah received gifts of clothing and jewelry to symbolize her receiving Isaac as her husband. The wily Jacob tried to bribe his brother Esau into forgiving him of all the wrongs he had committed on his brother in their youth. Bribes Esau flatly refused. Later on Jacob would again cause family turmoil when he gave his favorite son, Joseph, a flashy coat of many colors. The Magi are probably the most famous gift givers next to God, with the prophetic gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
When the relationship is right, how right the gift itself becomes. My mother has a storage locker in the town where she lives filled with things she no longer needs or never wanted. Once when sent to deposit something there for her I discovered sever framed prints and paintings that had never been hung on her walls. One of which was done by a sought after Mississippi artist, yet the door to Refrigerator is covered with finger paintings and scribbled drawings by her grandchildren, put there for all the world to see.
These gifts are an expression of unselfish love, given freely with nothing expected in return. But can we say the same for the gifts we give and receive at Christmas. How often do we use the cost of the gift as a substitute for time and attention that was not offered during the years past? Or sadder still, don’t we sometimes give a gift because we think it is expected or we know the recipient is planning on giving us one as well. Honestly, is there much time or thoughtfulness put into these gifts?
Maybe this Christmas we should examine the names on our shopping list to see if any of them fall into this category. I’m not suggesting we take the whole list at once. But select just one person who has become nothing more than a name on a list, a meaningless obligation and apply Jesus’ instructions to the situation: spending some time together with the person, rekindling the friendship before buying or offering the person a gift.
Once the person is selected, devote a few days to praying for them by name. Let us pray specifically about your relationship with them, how fulfilling it was in the past and why things have now gone astray. Ask God to soften the person’s heart towards us or if we are in the wrong we should ask God to give us strength and courage to admit our mistakes to the person we have offended. After we have done this for several days we should reach out to the person in the shape of a phone call, e-mail, or text. Perhaps we could offer to buy them lunch or set up a time to visit with them one on one. Whatever the steps of improvement we settle on, we should be certain through prayer that it is what God wants us to do and not of our own will and mind. Only after that is accomplished is it time to select a gift. The price of the gift, large or small, will not be of any consequence as our gift will do what all true gifts should, reflect our feelings of affection toward the person.
When we give in this spirit, we are truly making ready for Christmas when love, in the form of a baby, came down to earth. It is then that we can join the Magi in kneeling at the crib and giving thanks for God giving us His Son, the greatest gift of all.
Today's ADVENTure
Look around your home. Do you know where the decorations you are displaying came from? If you are like most people, you can remember some vividly while others have slipped into the warm hazy past. Select a spot of prominence in your home, whether it is on your tree or mantle and each day display an ornament there while remembering the circumstances or person who provided it. As you receive visitors on this day share with them the story behind it or something about the person who gave it to you. The next day do the same, moving a different ornament or decoration to the place of honor. Following this routine should lead to a warmer Christmas this year, if only in the heart.
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