The Package of the Christmas Gift for You

Luke 1:39-45

 

For most Christians, they have fond memories of giving and receiving gifts at Christmas. Many people think of Christmas as a season of gifts even if Jesus is left out. Nevertheless, this is a reciprocal event of joy for the giver and the receiver. For this mutual benefit, there must be a relationship between the giver and receiver. The benefactor must give gift within their resources and the beneficiary must have a willingness to receive the gift. The whole gift giving event can be ruined when the receiver refuses the gift. As Christians, we need to reflect on the gift that God has given to us. 

The scripture tells us that Gabriel came to Mary while she was in Galilee. 

 

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,

Luke 1:30‭-‬32 ESV‬

 

Mary accepted the message but was still curious how this would happen. Gabriel had this answer.

 

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born will be called holy— the Son of God.

Luke 1:35 ESV

 

Mary accepted Gabriel's proclamation and believed what was going to happen through the power of God. Mary was blessed by her willingness to trust the Lord as stated by Elizabeth.

 

And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Luke 1:45 ESV

 

Blessed in this context means that a person who lives a complete life of physical health, material prosperity and spiritual relationship with God. Mary is blessed because the Lord living in her womb converted her life into a full life.

 

The nature of blessings found in the package of Mary's gift is the first image of what Christmas brings. It is a new life of being well in totality as God had always intended us to live. This is the first gift that everyone receives when they accept their Christmas gift. This a life that restores your relationship with the Father and takes away the barriers that keep you from the Father. 

 

We need to accept this larger Christmas gift and allow it to incarnate in our lives. Just like Mary this is beyond our understanding, but we need to accept and believe. We can understand later after we accept, believe and experience God's gift.

 

There is also a vulnerability for love found in this Christmas gift. This is another gift from God. God chooses to come to world through a woman of lowly stature. In that time and society, women were looked down on. When Mary was first described, her genealogy is left out. We do not know who her mother or father were. Elizabeth however is described in more detail.

 

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth... But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

Luke 1:5‭, ‬7 ESV‬

 

We can assume that Mary had nothing noteworthy to mention about her heritage. We know she was betrothed to Joseph and she came from Galilee. Isaiah 53 has more to add to the importance of Galilee.

 

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?  For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.   He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Isaiah 53:1‭-‬3 ESV‬

 

God had empty himself and become someone who was not admirable in worldly terms so we could receive salvation and have an intimate relationship with God. We could not have an intimate relationship unless one in the relationship makes himself or herself vulnerable. God made Himself vulnerable, so we could have a genuine and close relationship with God.

 

The gift of Christmas also gives us a gift of hope and peace of mind while going through suffering. Jesus is a God who suffered and understood suffering. His humbled state endured suffering. We often focus on our suffering and our language becomes a language of complaints. We need to change our language to one of thanksgiving. When suffering, we can focus on God and His presence with us during our suffering. Jesus knew lack and grief

 

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Matthew 8:20 ESV

 

Jesus wept.

John 11:35 ESV

 

One gift we often refuse is the gift to accept all people. God made himself known to a world of darkness. We need to get out of our prejudices and our comfort zones. This means that we need to love the unlovable. God reached out for us when we were unworthy, so we must also reach out for those whom we feel are unworthy.

In this Christmas season as we remember the great gift that God has given us, let us also remember to accept it fully so that we can live a blessed life knowing God is with us at all times and understands suffering.  And we also need to remember to be generous with our forgiveness and compassion to everyone since our gift was given to us when we did not deserve it.