In my early 20’s I decided it wasn’t right that I should be receiving so many gifts and God wasn’t the focus of the gift giving. I made a grand plan to spread my great idea to my mom and sister and I was so sure they would be as excited as I was. Nope. They were not. Maybe it was my presentation. Maybe it was because my sister still had small children in her household or maybe it was my presentation of the concept. I don’t know but it was not well received at the time. Decades later, we have all evolved and grown and now it looks like we can all embrace Christmas with more enthusiasm for changing the way we do gifts.
My sister did bring up a good point. The exchange of gifts during the holidays are not meant to be interpreted as gluttony or materialism but rather a symbol of our appreciation of each other and gratitude to God for the gift of His Son.
That made sense to me. She’s not wrong. but in the back of my mind, there was still something nagging at me and I just think we can take it up a notch. The question kept repeating over and over in my mind as the Christmas Season approached.
What kind of gifts can we give to Jesus? I mean, it is HIS birthday after all. What do you get the One who can create man from dust and stars in the sky at a mere thought?
Every gift idea I thought of to “give to Jesus” felt lacking and not worthy of all that God has given to me. I began to spread the idea and see what my friends and family might suggest as a gift to God and I was surprised to find that the simple question stumped almost everyone I asked. It was as if giving gifts to Jesus was the most alien thing I might have suggested.
I made a commitment to think of ways to share gifts with Jesus for HIS birthday. At first, I came up with more childlike gift ideas like feeding the birds, and protecting nature. I thought of people in the nursing home in need of cheering up. It occurred to me I could do a better job of visiting friends when they are sick and offering to make a meal or clean their house. I considered picking up trash in the park or at the beach or on the lake.
Most of my ideas had some degree of merit but nothing that would really show my gratitude to God for the gift of His Son and Salvation that came from Jesus sacrifice on the cross.
Seriously, what do you give the Creator of the world? The One who can make anything, do anything, be everywhere and keep the whole world in motion? He is worthy of our most precious offering and here I am year after year empty handed.
What is our most valuable commodity? Is it cash? No, God has no need of money.
Is it gold and diamonds? No, God made those to begin with. He paves the streets with gold, so it’s definitely not that.
The one thing God gave us that He doesn’t control is our free will. Our free will is the one thing God gave us and then allowed us free reign over it. Without free will, even our love is automated like a robot. Without free will, there is no love; not for each other and not for the God of the universe of whom we owe the most.
The one gift we can give to Jesus is using our free will to love Him back.
In years past I would buy a whole bunch of those bird seed bells and attach a little card about ways we can give gifts to God. I would pass them out to anyone who will take one in hopes of sparking a reminder that the Christmas season is about the gifts we give to Jesus, by loving Him in words and in action and obedience. Granted, it was something. A small step in the right direction, but it’s not enough.
In God’s Word, we are told the most important thing is to “Love One Another”. So maybe that’s an even better starting point than birdseed and a little card and a short reminder to be charitable.
We give back to God by reading and study of His Word and then applying it to our lives every day. We give back to God by looking at the examples He set for us and then making them part of our lives. We give back to Jesus by striving to make all of our tomorrows better than our yesterdays.
I hope that somewhere along the way, I have planted a seed here and there as a reminder that the Christmas season is not merely the love we show each other but the love we give back to God in heart and soul but also in action.
This year, 2024, I challenge you to start a new tradition for the growns up in your family. Instead of shopping for each other, maybe pick a way to give back to God by being the hands and feet who bring joy to others in need, then share those stories instead of a bunch of gifts you’ll probably shove in a closet and forget about.
Just to jumpstart the season in a tangible way here are some ideas that are not about us:
Pay for kids school lunches who cant afford it.
Contribute to the shoe box effort in any of your local churches or community centers.
Stock your local food pantry.
Donate to your local shelter.
Organize a local scout troop or church group to a grand community effort.
Adopt a needy family.
Create an “Angel Tree” and enlist help fulfilling the wishes.
Volunteer ..literally anywhere that needs volunteers.
Donate clothing.
Feed the homeless.
Sing Carols and Hymns for the season to share the love of Jesus.
Compliment a stranger.
Be a partner with a wildlife or pet rescue service.
Help an elderly neighbor with chores.
Toys for Tots.
Blue Santa.
Shop with a Cop
Make cookies for the neighborhood kids.
Take coffee to someone working outside in the cold.
Share a smile or a prayer.
Spend time with Jesus in prayer or reading the bible.
Support missions all over the globe (see note below)
I present you with the challenge, start now and begin to form a plan then carry it out to take commercialism out of Christmas and put Christ in the center of your holiday.
When my granddaughter came along I tried to divert attention away from the idea that Santa brings the gifts and subtly introduce the idea to her that all good things come from above. Jesus is the only provider of blessings and all good things come from Him. I even write on the Christmas Packages “From Jesus with Love”…but somehow that still doesn’t seem fitting for the God of all creation who loves us and forgave us even before we were born.
Each year I make a birthday cake for Jesus and each year I try to take time out on Christmas Day for prayer and reflection but what do you give to God that can really relay the magnitude of our adoration of Him and his grace towards us?
The naysayers will say its all a fairytale and there is no God, but in my heart, I know He made me, He loves me and He answers my prayers and watches over me when no one else can. He is my Saviour and I love him. How do you give a gift that measures up to that?
I hope that somewhere along the way, I have planted a seed here and there as a reminder that the Christmas season is not merely the love we show each other but the love we give back to God.
Merry Christmas, may the spirit of the season be with you throughout the year.
Love, Lori
Missionaries I recommend:
Laurah Ward, a local from Friendswood now works with orphans aging out of the system in Russia. She has made it her life’s work to serve God in foreign places: https://www.facebook.com/harbornn/
The Crabtree family in Entebbe, Uganda work tirelessly to being light and love and mercy and grace to the sick and destitute and hungry in this dark corner of the world: https://www.facebook.com/leeann.crabtree
Dan and Angela Loaiza of Stirling, Scotland pour out their hearts to the lost and homeless and minister to the needs of the church in Stirling www.cfstirling.com