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The True Meaning of Christmas:

Giving and Receiving and Giving

by Greg Williamson (c) 2006

COPYRIGHT RELATED INFO

UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS

ARE FROM THE New American Standard Bible.

What It Means

I'm sure it's due in part to my getting older, but it seems that Christmas arrives a little earlier with each passing year. Of course some of that feeling is directly attributable to merchants' setting up their Christmas displays a little sooner every year. This time around, in some stores Santa made his initial appearance alongside Halloween ghouls and goblins.

It's difficult to miss the not-so-subtle message that Christmas means buying stuff to give away. But is that it? Is Christmas really all about the buying binge that starts several weeks prior to December 25th?

For children in particular, Christmas is more about receiving than about giving. It is with much eager anticipation that they await Christmas morn when they can finally tear into all those presents.

The fact is, both giving and receiving play a huge part in the true meaning of Christmas. The problem is that materialism makes a cheap substitute -- regardless of how much the gifts cost. 

Giving ... Receiving ... Giving

As the saying goes: "Jesus is the Reason for the Season." (At least, that is, until the ACLU gets its way and completely removes any mention of Jesus from the public arena.) The true meaning of Christmas is immortalized in the words of John 3:16: "'For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.'"

The giving of his one-of-a-kind Son demonstrates both the degree and manner of God's love for us (NET Bible). God's giving his Son to die as a sacrificial offering for the sins of the world is tangible proof of his love. It is indeed the greatest gift ever given.

But like any gift, Jesus must be personally received to be appreciated. Unlike the less-than-desirable neck tie from Aunt Betty, receiving God's gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ means much more than accepting it and then tucking it away in a closet somewhere, never to be thought of again.

In a day and time when easy believism and materialism run rampant throughout the Christian Church, it's very much worth remembering the the eternal life spoken of in John 3:16 includes living faithfully. As Max Lucado has put it: God loves us just as we are, but he loves us too much to leave us that way -- he wants us to be just like Jesus. Which means having our attitudes and actions remolded and reshaped as we spend regular, repeated time in prayer, Bible study, and fellowship. In a word, it means discipleship.

God offers us his free gift of salvation -- a gift that cost him so very much. We are to receive that gift, and then offer ourselves back to God as living sacrifices that seek to further his kingdom on this earth. How do we go about that? By giving of our time, talents, and treasure in humble, Christ-honoring service.

A Prison Lesson

The giving-and-receiving of Christmas was illustrated for me a number of years ago in, of all places, prison. (See How Jesus Changed My Life for my Christian testimony.)

Christmas is the only time of the year that inmates are allowed to receive food items from outside, and they can do so with very few restrictions. Now keep in mind that most inmates are like the old folks in a nursing home: cut off from the world and very much forgotten. Some inmates, however, manage to maintain regular contact with family and friends, and they are the ones who receive literally grocery bags full of special food items during the Christmas season. And since it is much more food than one person could hope to devour alone, for the first (and only) time of the year, sharing becomes a common practice.

Family and friends give ... the inmates receive ... the inmates give. While it would be nice if it happened more often, it is very fitting that it takes place during the Christmas season, a time when we commemorate the greatest gift ever given -- a gift that transforms receivers into givers.