When I was a young girl, around grade school if I correctly recall, I asked my father why we exchange gifts on Christmas. The holiday, after all, was "Jesus' Birthday." What he told me was profound enough to be remembered over several decades, well past his life here. I still remember those words today:
We are supposed to see Jesus in each other, thus we give gifts to Him through each other.
While many of us go through our shopping lists, we may make the effort to find and present the "perfect" gift for the person we see. Yet, are we seeing Christ inside them? Or have we fallen into the habit of gift-giving where Christmas becomes a second birthday for everyone?
I ask my readers this, and pray I don't forgot to do this myself. What WOULD Yeshua/Jesus want? Would He truly desire an iPad or smart-phone? Would He wish for another sweater? Or would the greatest gift we present be our presence?
Think about this a minute.
When Mary sat at the feet of Christ listening to Him and just being there with him, did He not prefer this instead of being served as Mary's sister asked her to do? Does He want gifts that be wrapped in paper or purchased with plastic? Or does He want our company?
Yes, this means taking time in prayer and sitting quietly to listen. It may even involve reading His words.
But it also means seeing Christ in others and giving our time, our ear, our presence to them as an even greater present. It will be one that will be remembered well beyond our years here, truly a gift we CAN take with us.
When we make our plans for the holiday, what will we give others for the one Who's birth we celebrate?
- ESA
We are supposed to see Jesus in each other, thus we give gifts to Him through each other.
While many of us go through our shopping lists, we may make the effort to find and present the "perfect" gift for the person we see. Yet, are we seeing Christ inside them? Or have we fallen into the habit of gift-giving where Christmas becomes a second birthday for everyone?
I ask my readers this, and pray I don't forgot to do this myself. What WOULD Yeshua/Jesus want? Would He truly desire an iPad or smart-phone? Would He wish for another sweater? Or would the greatest gift we present be our presence?
Think about this a minute.
When Mary sat at the feet of Christ listening to Him and just being there with him, did He not prefer this instead of being served as Mary's sister asked her to do? Does He want gifts that be wrapped in paper or purchased with plastic? Or does He want our company?
Yes, this means taking time in prayer and sitting quietly to listen. It may even involve reading His words.
But it also means seeing Christ in others and giving our time, our ear, our presence to them as an even greater present. It will be one that will be remembered well beyond our years here, truly a gift we CAN take with us.
When we make our plans for the holiday, what will we give others for the one Who's birth we celebrate?
- ESA
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