Presenting Presence

Christmas presents!  They are as much about the season as bathrobe clad children in church programs and egg nog.   We appreciate receiving and giving them, yet bristle at the cost and time required to provide them for others.  We enjoy the tradition that surrounds them, yet wrestle with the idea that they rob Christmas of its spiritual meaning by promoting a materialism that has little to do with the birth of Christ.  Like the Wisemen of old, we find ourselves wrestling with the question of what gifts will actually enhance the message of Christ.

Perhaps we can find help with understanding Christmas presents by considering first the Christmas presence.  (Yes, the play on words is intentional.)  As Jesus’ coming into the world was the ultimate gift of God to mankind, it can direct us in our gifting toward one another.

First, gifts can express the value we place on others.  Though it is not a scale we must adhere to, we do tend to spend more on people for whom we care the most and less for the less important.  A present purchased for a simple gift exchange normally costs far less than one purchased for the “significant other” in our life.  In this way, we express a value of the person receiving the gift.  If this is true, God has shared how valuable He considers each of us, as He gifted us with none other than His only begotten Son.  In like manner, the greatest gift we can share with others is an expression of how important they are in your life.

Secondly, gifts can either develop or impair us.  It’s the difference between our wants and needs.  As a boy, I always enjoyed the gifts directed toward my wants more than those bought for my needs.  Gifts for my wants usually included gadgets, toys and other fun stuff.  Needed gifts usually meant underwear and socks.  It was just hard to get excited about clothing.

Fulfilling our wants tends to feed an appetite while meeting needs fill a void.  One may provide an enjoyable experience, the other brings completeness.  God’s gift of Jesus was directed toward the need of salvation.  Ignoring the many wants requested by humanity, God zeroed in on what He knew we needed – salvation for our sins.  By providing this, God enabled all of us to come before Him free from the guilt of sin, restoring our relationship with Him, both now and for all of eternity.  As we think about our Christmas gifts this year, we might consider how our presents can move each recipient closer to the love and fellowship of God.

Despite the distortion, expense, and exhaustion the tradition of gifting brings to our Christmas experience, I do not foresee it dying out in the near future.  However, that does not mean that we cannot use it to express the sentiments of God toward others in this season, buy selecting gifts that reflect the value of the recipient as a well as encourage them to draw closer and deeper with God.

Pastor Mark