The Gift

It is a scene that will unfold in countless homes on Christmas Day. Presents will be pulled out from around the tree and passed to the intended recipients. Some will patiently take turns revealing the contents of each package as the others look on. Others will disgorge every package in a flurry of wrapping paper and delight. No matter the method, there is joy in giving and receiving.

Giving someone a gift can be risky. We all want the receiver to be pleased with what we have picked and procured for them. Some people are easier to shop for than others. Some people are more grateful than others. What if they don’t like it? Don’t need it? Already have it? So, when you find the perfect gift for someone—just the right thing—it feels really good.

The tradition of giving Christmas gifts is tied to the Biblical story of the three Magi (wise men) who brought gifts to the infant Jesus. Gift giving represents love, generosity, and appreciation to family and friends. So, what if you could give the perfect gift? I mean really nail it. Something they don’t have. Something they can’t get. Something they actually really need.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. His coming was actually a gift to each of us. The perfect gift. A gift that brought both the giver and the receiver joy. His birth was just the beginning, but the angels told the shepherds that he would bring joy to all people. That’s you and me, the receivers.

The interesting thing to me is that Jesus felt joy in this gift too, even though he knew his coming would result in suffering and death. In fact, it was for the joy set before him that he endured the cross and gave us the perfect gift of life.

I’m pretty sure my gifts this year (given and received) will be good, maybe even great, but not perfect. However, the act of giving and receiving will remind me of the joy that is mine (and yours) if I have received the only perfect gift ever given.

May you and those you love have a blessed and merry Christmas.