"For to us a son is born, to us a son is given."
-Isaiah 9:6
"All the prophets testify about Him that though His name everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins."
-Acts 10:43
"He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name."
-John 1:10-12
"Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
-1 John 4:10
"Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time."
-Hebrews 4:16
"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
-1 Corinthians 15:57
(Holman Christian StandardBible, italics mine.)
Christmas is the season of giving. We give gifts, time, cheer, cookies. We gives little bits of ourselves to the people that we love. And we love it. We love giving gifts and love.
But there's a flip to the coin: receiving.
At first glance, this sounds like the really fun part. Who doesn't like opening presents and receiving gifts? The inner kid in each of us is screaming right now at the thought of opening presents in six days. GETTING!!!!
What is the true gift of Christmas, though? Nope, it's not a new iPhone or a Polaroid camera, it's Jesus. Jesus is the gift that God reminds us of each Christmas. He's the gift that we all need more than we could ever imagine. He's the gift that fills us up more than we thought possible. He's the gift of joy, of peace, of reconciliation, of forgiveness, of a new life, and of celebration. He's the gift of salvation, of grace, of mercy, and of righteousness. He's the greatest gift.
How come, then, we don't like receiving Jesus?
There's a code in adult gift giving that makes the whole process happier. I give you something. You give me someone of relatively equal value. It works. That way no one feels lesser, no one feels humbled, and no one really came out richer in the end.
Have you ever exchanged gifts with someone only to discover that they gave you something much more extravagant? It's awkward. It's humbling. You want to run to Target right that moment to add on to your gift.
I think that's one of the reasons why we don't want to fully receive the gift of Jesus. When God gave Jesus to us, it was an unequal exchange. He asks for our belief and in exchange He gives us the life of His One and Only Son. Wait a minute? That's not equal. It's humbling because the exchange favors us. So we rush to the Good Works aisle of the store to try and match God's gift, but we can buy the entire aisle- the entire store for that matter- and still come out with more than we gave. God will always out-give us.
Santa's got nothing on God.
He gives and gives and doesn't ever run out of goodness. But even though we turn out richer because of His gifts unto us, His glory isn't lessened because He gave grace to us. His glory is exalted. We both come out the richer.
Remember when I said that the code of matching gift values was an adult code. Well, children have a different code: PRESENTS. That's their code. It's simple. Presents. They like to give presents, and they especially like to receive presents. They don't really know how much things cost, but they for sure know that they can't buy anything like what they've been given. They simply receive their gifts with squeals and joy. They use their gifts. They share their gifts. They receive.
Let's learn how to humbly receive the gifts God gives- gifts of life, forgiveness, grace, and His Spirit. Channel your inner child as you receive what God loves to give- life, joy, knowledge, and more. This is where the Christmas Spirit is. This is what Christmas is about.
Rest in the richness of God's grace in the form of a baby in a manger. Bow down in praise to the One who gives abundantly more than all we ask or imagine. Live joyfully in the gifts that He gives.
This Christmas, instead of trying to each, deserve, or decorate the gifts of Jesus, receive the gift of God With Us like a child. This makes all of the difference.
