This is second in a series of five
about the messages that God sends to us throughout this wondrous Christmas Season.
The
Message of the Gifts
“And going into the house they saw the child
with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their
treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11 (ESV)
This time of year is noted as
part of celebrating Christmas. We wander
through stores, search the internet and use our skills to make gifts for
others. We tend to spend money we don’t
have; use credit cards, or whatever it takes to find the perfect gifts for
family, friends and co-workers. Why do
we do this?
Gift giving originally was
part of honoring God. From the days of
Adam and Eve, “By faith Abel offered to God a more
excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was
righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead
still speaks.” Hebrews 11:4 (NKJV) We read where Abraham gave gifts and so on through
the Bible gifts were given; not only to honor God, but to others.
When we come into the
Christmas season, we think more about the visit of the Wiseman after the birth
of Jesus. They came bearing gifts for
the newborn King. Those gifts were very
costly and truly fit for a King, but that is not why we give gifts at Christmas. As Christians, we give because it is a way to
celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. For those who are not Christians, they give
just to give; they have parties, drinking and carousing just for the fun of it.
Giving gifts at a time of celebration began
with the Jewish Feast of ‘Purim’ and is still honored by Jews today. In the book of Esther in the Old Testament,
Queen Esther’s husband, the King of Persia set the Jews free after an evil plot
to kill all of them. This celebration is
in memory of their freedom and was part of feasting, music and gift-giving to
each other and to the poor. You can read
about this in Esther, Chapter 2.
God believes in ‘gifts’
because the Bible tells us that God, the Father has given many spiritual gifts
to us, his children. Some ignore these
gifts, but praise the Lord for those that are open to using the Gifts God gave
to them. In Matthew 7:11, the Bible tells us how much God wanted you to have
his gifts: “So if you sinful people
know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly
Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”
Now, back to the question
above, “Why do we give gifts at Christmas?”
For some, it’s to show off by giving the most expensive gifts, and for some,
they give because it’s expected by them.
While others search and search to find the ‘right’ gift that they think
the recipient would like to have; some just give without thought. Many agree that homemade gifts are the best,
because it takes effort, thought and time to make them.
The truth is, that giving to
those who can’t return the favor is really part of God’s plan, because it
honors Him. There are many organizations
such as ‘Toy’s for Tots’ that need your help, or places like the Salvation
Army. Perhaps your church has a program
to give Christmas boxes, or a family you know of that needs help. There is no greater feeling than helping
others. Let your heart guide you this
Christmas even if you don’t have much to give.
God is honored with all of it, big or small.
As for me, I love my family
so much and I find such joy in giving to them of what I have. The greatest gift
I can give is my love and my prayers to each of them and to my friends as
well. I would encourage you to think
carefully about what gifts you are planning on giving this year. Sending a card with kind words to those who
are bound in their homes, or those far away, is a gift of love. Find someone to
share with, of what God has given you.
The message of gift-giving
is, or should be, all about sharing the Love of God. Happy giving!
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