The Best Gift

WHAT gifts are you expecting for Christmas? What gifts are you hoping to give this Christmas?

In Katherine Davis’s Christmas carol, the little drummer boy was too poor to afford a gift, so, instead, he played his drum for Jesus, and baby Jesus smiled with approval,

The carol in the Bleak Midwinter, penned by Christina Rossetti, encourages us to give our hearts as a gift. Similarly, other carols speak of preparing room in our hearts and making our hearts a throne-room for Jesus.

The Bible teaches that Jesus is given to us as a special gift from God our heavenly Father. The apostle Paul wrote, Thanks be to God for His astonishing gift, which is too wonderful for words (2 Corinthians 9:15).

One of the most well-known verses in the Bible is John 3:16 “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Gifts say much about the person giving the gift. When someone gives us a gift, it is an indication of how much they value us. The gift might not be costly, but the thought and feeling behind it can still be

meaningful. Simply that someone thought to give us a gift is something to be appreciated.

As well as giving Jesus as a gift to us, did you know that Father God also gave a gift to Jesus? We are that gift. Jesus declared, “Those whom the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them (John 6:37)

So, here are two things for us to consider this Christmas: will we accept Jesus as God’s gift to us, and will we allow ourselves to be presented by God as a gift to Jesus?

Why would we want to reject the best gift that someone can give to us? Surely, we should want to treasure that gift. Likewise, Jesus treasures us as the best gift from His Father. He accepts us with delight and would never think of turning us away.

At Christmas time, it is easy to be distracted by nostalgia, sentimentality and commercialism, but let’s put Christ back into our Christmas this year and know that, as we accept Him, He also accepts us. Happy Christmas!

lan Toone, lay member, New Life Church, Derby