Tomorrow will be Christmas day, the most celebrated day for Christians all over the world. It is a time when we celebrate the greatest gift ever given in the birth of Jesus Christ who became the Savior of the world. In capturing the essence of giving that is associated with Christmas many of us have gotten our priorities very mixed up. Some of us spend months and hours shopping around for gifts to give at Christmas time. Many people forego their mortgage payment, their rent, paying their electric bill, or making a car payment, so that they can get especially their children, the latest and most expensive gadget that there is. At the end they are left with more bills and deeper into debt, but to them it does not matter because for one day at least they have accomplished their mission of giving.
This is so much different than what it was many years ago. I can remember getting up at the break of dawn going through the neighborhood with other friends singing Christmas carols at the top of our voices, then rushing home to a big cup of chocolate. Growing up as a child in Jamaica, if it happened I was unaware of it, but giving and receiving gifts was not the norm. We were very happy with just getting a couple dollars to go to the long anticipated “grand market” and to choose whatever our hearts desired and our money could by. The excitement was with having people dropping by our home to share our dinner and to drink a glass of sorrel (our Christmas special) and to eat a slice of cake. In the end we were all full and very happy and the best news of all was that no one was in debt.
Nowadays after spending all this effort in preparing for Christmas and especially shopping for gifts we still do not make our recipients very happy and neither are we because we are so tired. Believe it or not some recipients of our gifts will be disappointed with what you gave to them, some will be going back to the store to exchange their gift for a different color, size or name brand. On the other hand some will simple re-gift what they got while others will leave it tucked away on a shelf somewhere. Sometimes with all the hustle and bustle and cooking, wrapping and unwrapping of gifts, most of us tend to forget to acknowledge one very important gift- that was given to us -the gift of a Savior. Like some, do we leave Him unopened on a shelf somewhere?
Luke 2 tells the story about this gift – the birth of Jesus Christ which we have come to know as the “Christmas story”. How many of us know this story, or have retold this story to our children or share this great moment with our guests at the dinner table. After all that’s where we pattern our giving from, so let us unwrap this gift.
There will be many people who will wake up the day after Christmas feeling depressed, sad, lonely, hopeless and forgotten. How can we make their Christmas brighter? Well here are some suggestions.
1. Find an opportunity tomorrow to reopen the Gift labeled “Son of God” and share Him with those we gather with tomorrow. If you only have time for one verse share what Isaiah prophesied in chapter 9:6– : For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
2. Another thing that we can do to give them hope and comfort is to share with
them the good news of Isaiah 61: 1-5.
3. For those who may have never opened this gift at all let us encourage them to do so. Here’s how- First they need to acknowledge that there is this wonderful gift, then open their hearts to receive Him as their Savior and Lord and apologize for ignoring Him all along.
Giving gifts, getting together and celebrating is good but sharing the Gift of all gifts is so much more important. MERRY CHRISTMAS
In His Service,
Vilma