Every year at Christmas, I like to read the story of the birth of Christ, recorded both in Matthew and Luke. It is definitely not a bad thing to be reminded of, that the first coming of Christ is the reason for celebration this holiday season. This year, I decided to take a little bit of a different focus while reading these passages. Usually my focus is solely on the birth of Christ. This time, I focused on the other gifts that came to earth with the birth of Christ.

1. God’s Salvation

Matthew 1:21

In this passage, the angel of the Lord is speaking to Joseph in a dream. The angel is telling Joseph not to be afraid, but rather, to take Mary as his wife because the child she is carrying is the Son of God. The angel tells Joseph that he and Mary are to name the child Jesus. Jesus is the Greek form of the name Joshua, and Joshua means “the Lord saves.” Jesus’ name is Salvation. They cannot be separated. God’s gift of Jesus saves us from our sins.

2. God’s Presence

Matthew 1:23

Also in Matthew 1, we are reminded of another name that Jesus has been given. Matthew 1:23 is a quote of Isaiah 7:14. These verses tell us that the Son of God will be called Immanuel. Immanuel means “God with us.” Not only does Jesus’ name mean “God Saves,” but it also means “God is Present.” This gift is equally important. It can be very easy to forget that God is present in our lives, especially when bad and hard things happen to us. But God’s gift of his presence came along with His gift of Jesus, and He hasn’t taken that gift back.

3. A Shepherd

Matthew 2:6

In Matthew 2, the Magi are telling King Herod of the birth of Jesus. During their conversation, they quote Micah 5; this passage refers to Jesus as a “ruler who will shepherd [God’s] people Israel.” Through Jesus, God has given us the gift of a shepherd. A shepherd cares for and guides His flock of sheep, and Jesus is a Good Shepherd (John 10:11-16).

4. Good News of Great Joy

Luke 2:10

The news of Jesus’ first coming is good news! Jesus’ first coming brought God’s salvation, God’s presence, and God’s guidance to earth. These are some pretty great things, and we should be joyful about them!

5. Peace to Those On Whom His Favor Rests

Luke 2:14

God has given us many good gifts along with the gift of His Son. But the good thing about these gifts are that they truly are gifts. Nothing is required of us to earn these gifts. All that we have to do is accept the gifts that God has given to us. It should bring us peace to know that we did not have to earn these gifts. Rest in these gifts and be thankful for them!

The things on this list are gifts that God gave to allof us to accompany the gift of His Son. These gifts are often very easy for mankind to ignore or reject. Nonetheless, these gifts are needed. That’s why God gave them to us. This Christmas, we ought to be praying for these gifts to come into our lives and the lives of people around the world. They are good gifts, and we need them.