The maximum in giving and receiving at Christmas
Scripture reading: Luke 2:1-14. Text: “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.” 1 John 4:9.
In our Scripture reading, Christ’s birth’s historical recording is in the center and our text offers a spiritual view of the incarnation. May the historical and spiritual views complement each other.
THE MAXIMUM IN GIVING AND RECEIVING GIFTS AT CHRISTMAS. “GOD’S LOVE . . . HIS ONLY SON . . . THAT WE MIGHT LIVE.” See our text.
Every gift is supposed to be the manifestation of love, affection, and kindness. There is nothing wrong with it as long as it is according to the divine intention and purpose revealed through Jesus’ birth.
What are the ideal gifts concerning the giver and the receiver? The givers have this in mind:
– to give a gift which will create the greatest joy possible in the heart of the receiver,
– to give a gift in such a way that as many people as possible will be happy with it, and
– to give a gift which can be enjoyed for a long time.
And what is the ideal situation concerning those who receive it?
— The gift received should satisfy the needs or meet the expectations. What can be the greatest gift for a seriously ill person? Recovery. Or, for those who suffer from starvation? Food. Or, for those who are in
captivity? Freedom. Or, for an orphan? A loving and caring home.
— The gift which was so important, precious, and welcomed should not oblige the receiver and make him/her indebted to the giver.
— The spirit of giving should be motivating; namely who received freely whatever was needed so greatly, will in turn become a generous person helping others who will benefit from his/her services and kindness.
“BUT THE ANGEL SAID TO THEM (SHEPHERDS), ‘DO NOT BE AFRAID; FOR SEE-I AM BRINGING YOU GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY FOR ALL THE PEOPLE: TO YOU IS BORN THIS DAY IN THE CITY OF DAVID A SAVIOR, WHO IS THE MESSIAH, THE LORD.” Luke 2:10-11, and “GOD’S LOVE WAS REVEALED AMONG US IN THIS WAY: GOD SENT HIS ONLY SON INTO THE WORLD SO THAT WE MIGHT LIVE THROUGH HIM.” See our text
A part of our Scripture reading, quoted above, and our text show that Christmas, that is Jesus Christ’s arrival among us in human form, meet all the criteria of giving and receiving gifts as mentioned in the previous paragraphs.
However, there is one criterion which you may question; namely, do we feel the existential need of Christ’s arrival and atonement? Does His birth fulfill our expectations? Do we depend on God’s grace and mercy endlessly?
Here is the mystery as well as the crucial point of Christmas. Millions are living in our country – and seemingly happy and well – without having anything to do with church, religion, spiritual life, or following our Lord. On the surface we cannot deny that many of them are nice, kind, gentle, and caring.
The question is: what is LIFE for you? What is its meaning and purpose for you? Is your life “self-contained” or is it “connected to” a higher level? God is not eager to force everybody to suffer from spiritual hunger. This chance is given and offered to us. What did Apostle Paul say about his life after he gave his heart to the Lord? “. . . ‘and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.'” Galatians 2:20.
Saint Augustine also confirmed what is spiritually the most important: “Thou has made us for Thyself, and the heart of man is restless until it finds its rest in Thee.” Now we understand why the wise men and shepherds came to Bethlehem to pay tribute to Jesus.