Christmas Gifts
Sermon
Christmas Is For The Young... Whatever Their Age
16 Christmas Sermon Stories
Object:
The words have been asked, will be asked, and you will respond in one way or another. "What do you want for Christmas?" In our homes there are already certain places you are not supposed to look. There is a closet which is locked, or if it can't be locked, we are told, "Do not disturb." There is a cupboard that is not supposed to be opened, a part of the basement is kept secret and off limits, or you are not supposed to go into the attic or look under the bed. We all know that there are secret places for certain surprises that will arrive at Christmas. What do you want for Christmas?
I know there are some folks who say there is too much already made of present giving. Christmas is simply too commercial, they say, and is not kept sacred enough when one gets all caught up in the giving of gifts. I am going to make a confession today. I don't believe that! Oh, I'm not saying that Christmas can't become too commercial. Obviously it can. But to assume that gift-giving has nothing to do with Christmas is a tremendous mistake. The wise men who first came to celebrate the birth of Christ brought gifts. They brought gifts to him in token and esteem for whom and what he was.
Meaningful Gifts
Gifts can be a real indication of our sense of meaningfulness in our attitude toward others and toward ourselves. I know we can give gifts to people for many reasons. Sometimes we give a gift because there is a real need, or we may give a gift to another because of our desire to show appreciation, affirmation, or esteem. Sometimes, though, our gifts may really reflect us more than the person who receives them. They may show our taste rather than the taste of the one who is on the receiving end of them.
Wrapped Mysteries
I think, in a sense, gifts offer us wrapped mysteries; at least they are for me. As far back as I can reflect as a child, I always remember seeing presents at Christmastime brightly wrapped in all of their paper, tinsel, and bows. To me they were all symbolic of a deep mystery. We all work at the mystery by trying to disguise our gifts sometimes. We may have a ring we are giving as a present, or something very small like that, and we put it in a tiny box and then in another larger box, and in another larger box, and in another larger box still until we have all of them in a great big box. The person receiving the gift spends half of Christmas morning opening one box after another until they finally get to the mystery at the center of the box.
I know it is difficult sometimes to wrap a stuffed toy giraffe or a toy hippopotamus or an umbrella or a baseball bat so they are disguised to look like something else. Some gifts are almost impossible to wrap. But a part of the significance of the giving which we share with each other is the sense of the mystery involved with it.
The Mystery Of Life
Mystery is at the core of the meaning of Christmas. The gift that God gave to us on the first Christmas wrapped in the form of a baby was mysterious. Who can explain how God becomes incarnate in a baby? Who dares to say, "Oh, I understand the incarnation perfectly"? If you think you have it all perfectly clear, then take me over in a corner and explain it all to me sometime. It is a mystery which we kneel down before again and again, and we never totally understand it.
But all of creation itself is wrapped in a great sense of mystery, isn't it? The life I have and the life you have are a gift which came to us from God, and the gift of life is mysterious indeed. I had nothing to do with my coming into the world and you had nothing to do with yours. We are gifts from our parents and ultimately gifts from God's creation.
The human body itself is also mysterious. We take our body and its normal functions for granted so much of the time. When did you last check the fluid in your eyes? When was the last time you even thought about the fluid in your eyes which is essential if you are to see well? I know a woman who has constant trouble with the lack of moisture in her eyes. Her eyelids are like sandpaper and she may go blind because of her problem with the fluid in her eyes. What about the sense of touch? When have you last thought about that? I know a man who does not have hands and who wishes he had a sense of touch.
Ernest Campbell said that he was at a church camp once where they usually would say a prayer at mealtime. He said he never forgot the blessing that was prayed by a man one day, who said, "Lord, we thank you for food. We know it is necessary for our very life, but you could have made it tasteless and bitter and we would still have eaten it because it was necessary to life. Out of your goodness you have made it delicious and we thank you for that." When was the last time you thanked God for your taste, touch, sight, and hearing? All come as mysterious gifts to us from God.
Emily and I were childhood sweethearts and in our high school days she gave me a small book, which I still have, titled Life's Extras by Archibald Rutledge, the poet laureate of South Carolina. In his pictorial manner, Rutledge writes about the necessities which we must have in life like light, food, and water. But beyond these things he notes the "extras" which come to us in addition to these as innumerable expressions of beauty and joy which are gifts to us from God. Have you thought that instead of a beautiful world with color and radiance flowers could be black and white? The leaves in the fall could all just turn black, but, instead, they are multi-colored. The vast beauty in the world comes to us as another mysterious gift from the hand of God, and I am thankful for it.
The Mystery Of The Good
I know there is a lot of evil in the world and we cannot ignore it. I do not wink at evil for one moment but take it very seriously. There is, however, not only the mystery of evil, but there is the mystery of good in the world. Good is all around us, and we often do not see it. I heard the other day about some women in our congregation who were traveling on one of our streets and got stuck in the snow. A stranger assisted them and got them back on the road and enabled them to go on their way and would take nothing from them at all except a "thank you" for his effort. How do you explain the generosity of the man in the small church in Pike County who gave $120,000 as a tithe of his yearly salary to help the famine problem in Ethiopia? That is a marvelous gift of graciousness, generosity, and love, and I was delighted to see it on the front page of our paper.
Life is wrapped in mystery and our gifts can symbolize for us something about the very mystery of life itself. The ultimate mystery is God's great gift of love to us through his son.
A Way Of Remembering
Gifts are also a way of remembering for us. What husband has not spent some time in the doghouse because he forgot an anniversary? Who among us wants to have his or her birthday forgotten? Do you know one of the reasons children like to write letters to Santa Claus, or keep asking, "When is Christmas coming?" They want to make sure they are not forgotten. Sometimes we say, "Well, I really don't want anything for Christmas. I don't need anything. You don't have to give me anything." I wonder how that person would feel if they really got nothing. Those words are said sometimes by us almost as a way of protection or insulation for fear that we might be forgotten and if we are, we have already told you we didn't want anything, so it's okay. Gifts are a way of remembering; a way of saying to somebody else, "Hey, you are important! You are meaningful in my life, and through this small gift or large gift, I say to you -- you are significant."
When my children were very small, I would occasionally take trips to a convention or a conference and I would often bring back a small gift to them simply as a way of saying to them, "I thought about you while I was gone." Our gifts at Christmastime are a way of saying, "I have been thinking about you." But it doesn't always have to be a tangible gift, does it? The gift may sometimes be an embrace, a telephone call, a kiss, or words which we express to somebody like, "I love you" and "I appreciate you" or "You mean something to me," or "You encourage me." Our expression can come in so many different ways to say to somebody, "I remember you."
One year, a husband didn't know what to get his wife. He struggled for a long time wondering what to get until finally he decided to give her an unusual gift. He took out several pages of paper and wrote a message on each sheet and then wrapped them in a box and put them under the tree. When she opened it up Christmas morning, she later told him that it was the greatest gift he had ever given her. He was a writer and often was gone away to conferences around the country and didn't have enough time to be at home. As she took out the sheets of paper, one at a time, she read: "Good for an all day picnic." Another read, "A night at Joe's Hamburger Joint." Another said, "A night at the theatre." Another read, "A steak dinner at the place of your choice." Each piece of paper indicated some definite time, place, and attention that he would give her. Gifts can sometimes be for us a way of remembering and saying to the other person, "I love you and you are significant to me."
The Reception Of A Gift
Gifts take on significance in the way they are received. You and I can be really excited about giving a certain gift, but if the person receiving it is not excited when he or she receives it, it loses its impact. If all they can do is look at us and say, "Well, it's the wrong size" or "It's the wrong color" or "It's nice, but what is it?" Then the gift has not been received well. There are all kinds of ways we can telegraph messages to people about how insignificant whatever they have given us is. A person may sometimes say, "Oh, you shouldn't have," and he or she really means, "You shouldn't have!" There are many ways we can send signals to individuals through the way we receive gifts.
I know a person that makes you glad you have given her a gift, by the way she receives it. It doesn't matter what the gift is. Her reaction is just marvelous and appreciative. Some of us may not be able to receive in a way that shows our excitement but we can show appreciation. I am convinced that the way we receive is significant in understanding the meaningfulness of gift giving.
If someone came to me this week and said, "I want to give a check for one hundred thousand dollars to our church building program without any strings attached," I wouldn't respond by saying: "I'm not so sure I can accept it." I would not say to them, "First, I have to know about the size of your bank account, or what your motives for giving are." I would not say that I must first check their attendance in church or how often they have been to Sunday school recently. I would not ask, "Are you a member of our WMU or our brotherhood?" I would just receive it for our church with thanksgiving.
We have to learn to receive another's gift to us and not always spend our energy in raising questions about something that we may have no clear cut answer for or do not need to concern ourselves with at this point. Often we have the same kind of problem in our relationship to receiving God's great love. We are filled with all kinds of questions, and I am not saying not to have your questions. Bring your questions, but we need to remember that we do not always have clear-cut answers to all of our questions. God came to us as the great redeeming God of love in Christ Jesus, we have seen his wonderful grace and now we have to learn to receive his gift. "For by grace are you saved through faith." It is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not a result of our works, not the gift of our intellect, not the gift of our own efforts, but it comes to us as God's gift. Receive it and be thankful for it.
Charlie Brown and Sally are talking. She is writing a theme for school on the true meaning of Christmas. She writes, "The true spirit of Christmas is getting." Charlie Brown says, "I think you mean the true meaning of Christmas is giving." She looks up at him and responds, "I don't have the slightest idea of what you are talking about." There is a tremendous difference between getting and receiving. A lot of us want to get. But to learn how to receive is to learn to appreciate, to affirm, and to respond to the God who has revealed himself and loved us through his Son, Christ Jesus.
The Cost Of The Gift
Let us also note the cost of the gift. That is very significant. Now don't miss this point. We are not talking about how much money you may pay for a gift. That is not what I have reference to when I speak about cost, but the question is how much did it cost in love, time, and effort? How do you measure that cost? How much did your gift cost you? How much of your love, how much of yourself did you spend? How much real affection, concern, and love is there extended from you toward the other person? How much of you is invested in the purchase of this gift? Do you really genuinely care for the person to whom you are giving this gift? Remember it cost the wise men years of time, searching, travel, money, and effort to find the Christ Child. What has his love cost us as we have followed his star in the sky of our own life?
In a very personal memoir, Christmas in Plains, Jimmy Carter, former president of the United States, reflects on Christmas days spent in his Plains, Georgia, community during his boyhood, his navy years, return trips there with Rosalynn and his children, as well as festivities in the Georgia governor's mansion and the White House. In a chapter titled "Best Christmas of All," he writes about an experience he and family members and volunteers for the Plains community had in building a Habitat for Humanity house for a black man named Curtis Jackson. They labored until dark on Christmas Eve to complete the project and give the keys to the house to Curtis. This act of doing for another is the Christmas he remembers as his "best."1 Which Christmas would you and I select?
When the wise men visited the Christ Child, they brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold symbolized the reign of a king. Frankincense symbolized the sacrifices used by the priests in the temple, and myrrh symbolized the anointing of the child who later would lay down his life for us. These gifts did not seem to be what a baby normally needed. They were special. "Their gifts were worthy of a king," Thomas Trotter notes, "who some day would change the shape of justice and love in the whole world." When they came bringing their gifts, they paid homage to the child. The word in Greek means they prostrated themselves or bowed down in worship. When we have caught the true meaning of Christmas, we come before God and we bring our gifts to him, and we bow down in worship before him offering him the gift of our life. We empty ourselves so we can receive the fullness of his gift, his love, his grace, and his presence in us.
All authentic gift giving in our relationship to God involves the laying down of one's life in worship before the God who has revealed himself in Christ Jesus. In this Christmas season, like the wise men of old, we give time, effort, and energy that we might focus our heart and mind upon God. We open our lives to him that we might receive the mystery of his coming in the Christ, but ultimately we must kneel down before this mystery and acknowledge that it is the God of the universe whom we worship who has revealed himself through this baby. We confess that we have recognized that wrapped up in this mystery is the greatness of God's love.
We received a Christmas card several years ago from a friend who told about a delightful woman (in his life) who said, "Christmas morning, for me, always comes up with a shout." This Christmas I hope there will be shouting all over the place because you have accepted and received the great gift of God which has come to us in Jesus Christ. It is the gift that James tells us about which came from the God who is the Creator of the universe and who is the origin of all good gifts. Receive God's good gift in Christ and bow down in worship before him.
____________
1. Jimmy Carter, Christmas in Plains: Memories (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001), pp. 151 ff.
I know there are some folks who say there is too much already made of present giving. Christmas is simply too commercial, they say, and is not kept sacred enough when one gets all caught up in the giving of gifts. I am going to make a confession today. I don't believe that! Oh, I'm not saying that Christmas can't become too commercial. Obviously it can. But to assume that gift-giving has nothing to do with Christmas is a tremendous mistake. The wise men who first came to celebrate the birth of Christ brought gifts. They brought gifts to him in token and esteem for whom and what he was.
Meaningful Gifts
Gifts can be a real indication of our sense of meaningfulness in our attitude toward others and toward ourselves. I know we can give gifts to people for many reasons. Sometimes we give a gift because there is a real need, or we may give a gift to another because of our desire to show appreciation, affirmation, or esteem. Sometimes, though, our gifts may really reflect us more than the person who receives them. They may show our taste rather than the taste of the one who is on the receiving end of them.
Wrapped Mysteries
I think, in a sense, gifts offer us wrapped mysteries; at least they are for me. As far back as I can reflect as a child, I always remember seeing presents at Christmastime brightly wrapped in all of their paper, tinsel, and bows. To me they were all symbolic of a deep mystery. We all work at the mystery by trying to disguise our gifts sometimes. We may have a ring we are giving as a present, or something very small like that, and we put it in a tiny box and then in another larger box, and in another larger box, and in another larger box still until we have all of them in a great big box. The person receiving the gift spends half of Christmas morning opening one box after another until they finally get to the mystery at the center of the box.
I know it is difficult sometimes to wrap a stuffed toy giraffe or a toy hippopotamus or an umbrella or a baseball bat so they are disguised to look like something else. Some gifts are almost impossible to wrap. But a part of the significance of the giving which we share with each other is the sense of the mystery involved with it.
The Mystery Of Life
Mystery is at the core of the meaning of Christmas. The gift that God gave to us on the first Christmas wrapped in the form of a baby was mysterious. Who can explain how God becomes incarnate in a baby? Who dares to say, "Oh, I understand the incarnation perfectly"? If you think you have it all perfectly clear, then take me over in a corner and explain it all to me sometime. It is a mystery which we kneel down before again and again, and we never totally understand it.
But all of creation itself is wrapped in a great sense of mystery, isn't it? The life I have and the life you have are a gift which came to us from God, and the gift of life is mysterious indeed. I had nothing to do with my coming into the world and you had nothing to do with yours. We are gifts from our parents and ultimately gifts from God's creation.
The human body itself is also mysterious. We take our body and its normal functions for granted so much of the time. When did you last check the fluid in your eyes? When was the last time you even thought about the fluid in your eyes which is essential if you are to see well? I know a woman who has constant trouble with the lack of moisture in her eyes. Her eyelids are like sandpaper and she may go blind because of her problem with the fluid in her eyes. What about the sense of touch? When have you last thought about that? I know a man who does not have hands and who wishes he had a sense of touch.
Ernest Campbell said that he was at a church camp once where they usually would say a prayer at mealtime. He said he never forgot the blessing that was prayed by a man one day, who said, "Lord, we thank you for food. We know it is necessary for our very life, but you could have made it tasteless and bitter and we would still have eaten it because it was necessary to life. Out of your goodness you have made it delicious and we thank you for that." When was the last time you thanked God for your taste, touch, sight, and hearing? All come as mysterious gifts to us from God.
Emily and I were childhood sweethearts and in our high school days she gave me a small book, which I still have, titled Life's Extras by Archibald Rutledge, the poet laureate of South Carolina. In his pictorial manner, Rutledge writes about the necessities which we must have in life like light, food, and water. But beyond these things he notes the "extras" which come to us in addition to these as innumerable expressions of beauty and joy which are gifts to us from God. Have you thought that instead of a beautiful world with color and radiance flowers could be black and white? The leaves in the fall could all just turn black, but, instead, they are multi-colored. The vast beauty in the world comes to us as another mysterious gift from the hand of God, and I am thankful for it.
The Mystery Of The Good
I know there is a lot of evil in the world and we cannot ignore it. I do not wink at evil for one moment but take it very seriously. There is, however, not only the mystery of evil, but there is the mystery of good in the world. Good is all around us, and we often do not see it. I heard the other day about some women in our congregation who were traveling on one of our streets and got stuck in the snow. A stranger assisted them and got them back on the road and enabled them to go on their way and would take nothing from them at all except a "thank you" for his effort. How do you explain the generosity of the man in the small church in Pike County who gave $120,000 as a tithe of his yearly salary to help the famine problem in Ethiopia? That is a marvelous gift of graciousness, generosity, and love, and I was delighted to see it on the front page of our paper.
Life is wrapped in mystery and our gifts can symbolize for us something about the very mystery of life itself. The ultimate mystery is God's great gift of love to us through his son.
A Way Of Remembering
Gifts are also a way of remembering for us. What husband has not spent some time in the doghouse because he forgot an anniversary? Who among us wants to have his or her birthday forgotten? Do you know one of the reasons children like to write letters to Santa Claus, or keep asking, "When is Christmas coming?" They want to make sure they are not forgotten. Sometimes we say, "Well, I really don't want anything for Christmas. I don't need anything. You don't have to give me anything." I wonder how that person would feel if they really got nothing. Those words are said sometimes by us almost as a way of protection or insulation for fear that we might be forgotten and if we are, we have already told you we didn't want anything, so it's okay. Gifts are a way of remembering; a way of saying to somebody else, "Hey, you are important! You are meaningful in my life, and through this small gift or large gift, I say to you -- you are significant."
When my children were very small, I would occasionally take trips to a convention or a conference and I would often bring back a small gift to them simply as a way of saying to them, "I thought about you while I was gone." Our gifts at Christmastime are a way of saying, "I have been thinking about you." But it doesn't always have to be a tangible gift, does it? The gift may sometimes be an embrace, a telephone call, a kiss, or words which we express to somebody like, "I love you" and "I appreciate you" or "You mean something to me," or "You encourage me." Our expression can come in so many different ways to say to somebody, "I remember you."
One year, a husband didn't know what to get his wife. He struggled for a long time wondering what to get until finally he decided to give her an unusual gift. He took out several pages of paper and wrote a message on each sheet and then wrapped them in a box and put them under the tree. When she opened it up Christmas morning, she later told him that it was the greatest gift he had ever given her. He was a writer and often was gone away to conferences around the country and didn't have enough time to be at home. As she took out the sheets of paper, one at a time, she read: "Good for an all day picnic." Another read, "A night at Joe's Hamburger Joint." Another said, "A night at the theatre." Another read, "A steak dinner at the place of your choice." Each piece of paper indicated some definite time, place, and attention that he would give her. Gifts can sometimes be for us a way of remembering and saying to the other person, "I love you and you are significant to me."
The Reception Of A Gift
Gifts take on significance in the way they are received. You and I can be really excited about giving a certain gift, but if the person receiving it is not excited when he or she receives it, it loses its impact. If all they can do is look at us and say, "Well, it's the wrong size" or "It's the wrong color" or "It's nice, but what is it?" Then the gift has not been received well. There are all kinds of ways we can telegraph messages to people about how insignificant whatever they have given us is. A person may sometimes say, "Oh, you shouldn't have," and he or she really means, "You shouldn't have!" There are many ways we can send signals to individuals through the way we receive gifts.
I know a person that makes you glad you have given her a gift, by the way she receives it. It doesn't matter what the gift is. Her reaction is just marvelous and appreciative. Some of us may not be able to receive in a way that shows our excitement but we can show appreciation. I am convinced that the way we receive is significant in understanding the meaningfulness of gift giving.
If someone came to me this week and said, "I want to give a check for one hundred thousand dollars to our church building program without any strings attached," I wouldn't respond by saying: "I'm not so sure I can accept it." I would not say to them, "First, I have to know about the size of your bank account, or what your motives for giving are." I would not say that I must first check their attendance in church or how often they have been to Sunday school recently. I would not ask, "Are you a member of our WMU or our brotherhood?" I would just receive it for our church with thanksgiving.
We have to learn to receive another's gift to us and not always spend our energy in raising questions about something that we may have no clear cut answer for or do not need to concern ourselves with at this point. Often we have the same kind of problem in our relationship to receiving God's great love. We are filled with all kinds of questions, and I am not saying not to have your questions. Bring your questions, but we need to remember that we do not always have clear-cut answers to all of our questions. God came to us as the great redeeming God of love in Christ Jesus, we have seen his wonderful grace and now we have to learn to receive his gift. "For by grace are you saved through faith." It is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not a result of our works, not the gift of our intellect, not the gift of our own efforts, but it comes to us as God's gift. Receive it and be thankful for it.
Charlie Brown and Sally are talking. She is writing a theme for school on the true meaning of Christmas. She writes, "The true spirit of Christmas is getting." Charlie Brown says, "I think you mean the true meaning of Christmas is giving." She looks up at him and responds, "I don't have the slightest idea of what you are talking about." There is a tremendous difference between getting and receiving. A lot of us want to get. But to learn how to receive is to learn to appreciate, to affirm, and to respond to the God who has revealed himself and loved us through his Son, Christ Jesus.
The Cost Of The Gift
Let us also note the cost of the gift. That is very significant. Now don't miss this point. We are not talking about how much money you may pay for a gift. That is not what I have reference to when I speak about cost, but the question is how much did it cost in love, time, and effort? How do you measure that cost? How much did your gift cost you? How much of your love, how much of yourself did you spend? How much real affection, concern, and love is there extended from you toward the other person? How much of you is invested in the purchase of this gift? Do you really genuinely care for the person to whom you are giving this gift? Remember it cost the wise men years of time, searching, travel, money, and effort to find the Christ Child. What has his love cost us as we have followed his star in the sky of our own life?
In a very personal memoir, Christmas in Plains, Jimmy Carter, former president of the United States, reflects on Christmas days spent in his Plains, Georgia, community during his boyhood, his navy years, return trips there with Rosalynn and his children, as well as festivities in the Georgia governor's mansion and the White House. In a chapter titled "Best Christmas of All," he writes about an experience he and family members and volunteers for the Plains community had in building a Habitat for Humanity house for a black man named Curtis Jackson. They labored until dark on Christmas Eve to complete the project and give the keys to the house to Curtis. This act of doing for another is the Christmas he remembers as his "best."1 Which Christmas would you and I select?
When the wise men visited the Christ Child, they brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold symbolized the reign of a king. Frankincense symbolized the sacrifices used by the priests in the temple, and myrrh symbolized the anointing of the child who later would lay down his life for us. These gifts did not seem to be what a baby normally needed. They were special. "Their gifts were worthy of a king," Thomas Trotter notes, "who some day would change the shape of justice and love in the whole world." When they came bringing their gifts, they paid homage to the child. The word in Greek means they prostrated themselves or bowed down in worship. When we have caught the true meaning of Christmas, we come before God and we bring our gifts to him, and we bow down in worship before him offering him the gift of our life. We empty ourselves so we can receive the fullness of his gift, his love, his grace, and his presence in us.
All authentic gift giving in our relationship to God involves the laying down of one's life in worship before the God who has revealed himself in Christ Jesus. In this Christmas season, like the wise men of old, we give time, effort, and energy that we might focus our heart and mind upon God. We open our lives to him that we might receive the mystery of his coming in the Christ, but ultimately we must kneel down before this mystery and acknowledge that it is the God of the universe whom we worship who has revealed himself through this baby. We confess that we have recognized that wrapped up in this mystery is the greatness of God's love.
We received a Christmas card several years ago from a friend who told about a delightful woman (in his life) who said, "Christmas morning, for me, always comes up with a shout." This Christmas I hope there will be shouting all over the place because you have accepted and received the great gift of God which has come to us in Jesus Christ. It is the gift that James tells us about which came from the God who is the Creator of the universe and who is the origin of all good gifts. Receive God's good gift in Christ and bow down in worship before him.
____________
1. Jimmy Carter, Christmas in Plains: Memories (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001), pp. 151 ff.
