Christmas is drawing near yet again, only a few short weeks separate us from the day most children look forward to from year to year. The anticipation of what they will get on the 25th of Dec.. They make their list and give them to their parents or make their requests known verbally. The halls of most homes are decked and parents spend weeks juggling their finances trying to figure out a way to make all their children’s dreams come true on this special day.
Truly there is nothing wrong with gifts of love. The Father in Heaven himself gave man the GREATEST gift when he sent his son, Jesus into the world to be born of a Virgin, in the flesh. His Son is an eternal gift, the gift that keeps on giving. Although not many households have parents that explain to their children that gifts are given on the 25th symbolic of the gifts given to the Christ child by the Wiseman, or the Greatest Gift that God gave to man. Christmas in many households are based around Santa Claus. There is no mention of the baby Jesus or the salvation that was to come through him in the future.
How can we celebrate Christmas apart from acknowledging or telling the story about Jesus, his name is even in the phrase we use. Merry CHRISTmas. Perhaps this is why some say, Happy Holidays or refer to this time using other titles, but no matter how you spin it the early church deemed this day a day of reflection on the birth of our Lord and Savior. We can go back and forth for an eternity on the actual date of his birth (his first coming into the world) which to me is so irrelevant to the reason of our celebration. No mortal presently alive knows the actual date. Thousands of years ago the early church deemed the 25th of December the day we would reflect on the fact that Jesus was born and centuries later till the present we still do as the church (the body of Christ). A day to shout, "guess what inhabitants of the world? There is a Savior, He was born of a Virgin named Mary who was espoused to Joseph, our Savior's earthly father". The bible says his name is Immanuel: translated God with us. Yes, God came in the Flesh!! How so? Because the Bible says He did, He came unto his own and his own knew him not, Mary and Joseph were even told what they should name their son before he was even born.......Jesus!!!
Christmas is the season of giving as well as a time of reflection on the birth of Christ. I see nowhere written in scripture where God or the Wiseman stressed over giving the gifts they gave. Love was the motivation for their gifts, so why are some stressing? Rebuke that stress! Truthfully when a gift is given it is usually given from the heart of the giver without the giver being told what to give. It's an unconditional gift given freely from giver to the receiver. If we put demands on what it is that another "should" give us then it changes from a gift being given freely to something given by demand. Where then is the element of surprise or the feeling one gets knowing the giver's heart made the choice in what was given. A gift is supposed to be given by choice not protocol.
If we teach our children the reason why we give and about the Bigger gift that God gave then the season would have more meaning and there would be a more appreciation for what is received. Gift giving should never become a debt accumulating situation, because you are giving from the heart what you can, not what you are expected or put under pressure to give. You should do and give within your means. It makes no sense to have to struggle months after the season has pass paying outrageous bills.
A gift doesn’t always have to come from a store, it can be made, it can be your time given, its whatever you do for that other person that stems from love. Bake a pie or cookies, do a chore for them that would take the load off of them physically. Gifts come in all forms. We should train our kids up to appreciate "whatever" from others is given letting them know that a love gift doesn’t have to necessarily come in a big glittery wrapped package all the time, and most important how special it is to be given a gift.
Christmastime should not be referenced as a time of competition to see who gives or gets the most. Children should be taught that a person is not greater because of the amount of their possessions, nor is the love that you have for them based upon the amount of gifts under the tree more or less, and last but not least that riches don’t come in a box or bag, and that we are blessed richly because of God's son, Jesus, whom this day we are suppose to be reflecting upon.
(c) Sherri C. Walker
November 2009
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