Christmas day is nearly upon us; our celebration of the first advent of the Messiah is only hours away. Children are anxious about the presents under the tree and adults are anxious (in a good or bad way) about seeing the extended family. Like the good father Jesus speaks about in Luke 11.11-12 we all want to give good gifts. What does that mean today? In 1983 the go-to gift was a Cabbage Patch doll, in 1995 it was Beanie-Babies. An iPod was the must-have gift of 2002. What gift are you giving your family this year? Will it matter?

The gifts change from year to year but the spirit of Consumerism remains the same. I’m not going to say that we should eliminate gift-giving at Christmas as some have, I think teaching others (kids especially) to be generous and to have a giving heart is a good thing. Being a cheerful giver is a Christian value and helps put Christ back in the Christian, if not necessarily in Christmas. What I am saying is that the more thoughtful the gift the higher the impact. How many of our readers over the age of 30 remember getting a Beanie Baby? Do you remember what toys you received when you were 5 years old? How about 10? Probably not.

It isn’t until we get older and have to go Christmas shopping on our own that we come to appreciate the sacrifice mom and dad made to brave the cold and the packed shopping malls to get us that one thing they think will make our Christmas, only to have it lost or forgotten by New Years’. Lest I be accused of sounding like a Grinch, I simply want to contrast the spirit of Consumerism with the Spirit of Christ. The family that celebrates the first coming of Jesus, the savior of the world, does a far better thing than those who give expensive gifts. So while you wouldn’t forget to trim the tree, how many of our families today have a nativity scene in our home? I doubt the angel tree topper is enough to remind our family of the meaning of Christmas.

Stepping out and displaying the true meaning of Christmas will rile up some of our friends, family and neighbors. “What has God ever done for me?” they may ask. We ought to be prepared to answer such questions.

“For God so loved the world that he gave…” We worship a living God, to be sure, but he is also a giving God. “The heavens belong to Elohim, but the earth he has given to mankind” (Psalm 115.16). Likewise, ““You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 13.11), and God has given us a Spirit “of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1.7). I could go on in this vein for some time but you get the point.

Of all the good gifts God has given us, even some to those who reject him, the best answer by far is found in Second Peter 1.3-6:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. This brings you great joy…”

This is a gift given to all who are willing to unwrap it and receive it, and this is the time we celebrate the greatest gift ever given to mankind.