Many believe that Christmas has been overcommercialized in our modern era. They are probably right. Months ago, before summer’s end, stores were already putting Christmas items on the shelves. Recently, Americans spent a record one trillion dollars on Christmas.
Some have overlooked the meaning of Christmas or ignored it completely. Some children will wake up to stacks of presents, cookies, and relatives and never hear the name of Jesus. Their parents will not tell them the reason for the season or take them to church during Advent. The season itself is commercialized.
While this is true, this doesn’t mean that Christians must swing the pendulum the other way. Some Christians reject gift-giving altogether because they say they are trying to keep the Christmas season about Jesus. However, Christians can make Christmas a priority for Jesus and give gifts.
Some have overlooked the meaning of Christmas or ignored it completely.
First, remember that Jesus’ birth was initially celebrated with gifts. In Matthew 2:7–12, we read that the Magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We cannot doubt that gift-giving and celebration go hand in hand.
Some may say that the Magi’s gift-giving doesn’t apply to us because those gifts were given directly to Jesus. But there are other places in Scripture where people gave gifts to each other to celebrate God’s goodness. In Esther 9:20-22 we see that during the Feast of Purim, which celebrated the Jew’s escape from slaughter, they gave gifts to each other. Their way of celebrating what God did was to give each other presents.
Why would it be appropriate to gift something to someone other than the person we are celebrating? Is this misplaced gift-giving? Jesus answers that for us in Matthew 10:40-42. He says anything we do for someone else precisely because we are trying to serve God is like we do it for God Himself.
Lastly, gift-giving is an extension of grace. Some give because they want to be thanked, while others provide solely to make someone else happy.
Christian gift-giving is grace-based. First and foremost, we give because of how much we have been given. God has gifted us so much, and we are so joyful for all we have that grace is pumping through our veins, and we need to express that grace to others.
The apostle Paul talks about this in Romans 12:3-8. He is talking about spiritual gifts, not physical ones, that bless the church here. Yet, the principle can still apply. Because of “the grace given” to us, we give ourselves to others. One of thousands of ways we can live this out in everyday life is by giving gifts to each other.
Think About It
Do you love others through gift-giving?
Do you see it as passing on the grace given to you?
Do you see it as a way to celebrate God’s goodness of sending His Son to earth to pay for your sins?
Thanks for taking time to read this Maddening Theology post. If you enjoyed this content you can find Pastor Tim’s sermons at www.cornerstoneforestcity.org. You can also join us at 520 Marion St. Browndale, PA 18421 on Sundays at 10 AM. To make following the blog easier you can also register. You can also join us on Facebook at Cornerstone Forest City. Also, don’t forget to download our APP on iTunes or Googleplay.