The Essence of Christmas

There is special value to a thought-out gift. You know the feeling when we receive something that communicates, “I know you.” The value is often unquantifiable by price. Some of the most memorable gifts I’ve ever received would be irrelevant to another.  It’s the degree of awareness between the giver and receiver that produces the value.

I saw a gift recently given that captured the heart of a person so clearly. The depth of awareness and appreciation was evident once some context was provided. It was an expression of close observation. These moments capture the essence of Christmas.

The gift of Christmas is truly priceless. God gave the gift of His Son- for us. It wasn’t a last-minute gift. In fact, it was a gift that was thought through before the foundation of the earth was laid. And it was exactly what we needed. It wasn’t a gift exchange; it was the gift of God Himself, incarnate. All the good things that we enjoy begin with God giving the gift of His Son. Hope, joy, and peace are not derived from the things of this world. As good as the things of this world can be at best they are fleeting. What we needed was life, not temporary but everlasting. And there can be no life apart from God. Life originates in Him.

It’s easy to miss the value of God’s gift. We talk, sing, and celebrate the gift but it can feel a bit shallow when I sit and think about the magnitude of the gift. That God would wrap Himself in skin and place Himself in the hands of a teenager to be laid in a bed where animals eat. I don’t want to become so complacent with the gift that I fail to see His significance. That God would have such an awareness of me as to give of Himself- for me! Oh, the depths of His love.

Heaven came to earth through the very One whose presence is the present. In His presence there is life that cannot be severed. Everything derived from this world is uncertain but when there is heaven on earth the main things become certain. God has withheld nothing from us. In His Son we’ve received everything. And it is a personal gift. Jesus knows each of us by name and walks with us through the unique terrain of our lives. The gift, so thorough, He accounts for all the complexities within us and without. Once we receive the gift, He’s ours forever. Even if we sojourn the deepest valley, His presence is there.

How good is it to know that God is for us and His desire is to be with us. Heaven came to earth, and He did so in the humblest of ways. God wanted to be sure the gift was available to everyone. But the gift is not generic. He knows us, what surrounds us, and He guides us along still waters. The gift communicates, “I know you and my desire is to be present.” It’s not an exchange. There’s nothing that we could ever exchange. He casts out our fear, anxiety, and insecurity and replaces them with His hope, joy, and peace. But none of that comes apart from His presence, God with us.  

For God so loved the world that He gave us His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16