When I was young and growing up in VietNam, my favorite holiday was Christmas. During the Christmas season I would watch or participate in special plays, hear and sing beautiful songs, and stayed up late since many churches held midnight services on Christmas Eve. I enjoyed hanging out with friends as we strolled together on crowed streets, breathing in the joy of the season.
Christmas is still my favorite holiday season except the occasional pressured feeling resulting from the expectations that gifts are to be bought and given. The challenge is to find the “Right” gift. I often walk the mall, trying to think what my loved ones, my friends and my co-workers would want or need. I think hard about which gift , within my budget, would give people a little bit of joy. The thought that my gift might be discarded without even being looked at brings me sadness because of the time and effort invested.
The Bible asks that if we as evil know how to give good gifts, how much more will God give to those who ask Him (Luke 11:13). One of the first gifts mentioned in the Bible is being called to be God’s servants. In Numbers 18:7, God said to the Levites, “I give your priesthood as a gift.” We are called by God to be selected people, to be a holy priesthood (I Peter 2:5). It is a special privilege and a gift from God that we are called to minister to others and to spread His love. Do we view this special calling as a gift or a burden? Throughout the Bible, we are reminded that all things belong to God. Our possessions, our work are gifts from God (Eccl. 5:19). Sometimes,we think we have earned it all, accomplished what we have by our wisdom and effort. We forget to be thankful to God for these gifts.
Of all the gifts that we receive from God, the most precious gift that He gave us is the Gift of Jesus Christ. Without Christ, we would be forever lost. Apostle Paul wrote, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). Do we treasure this most valuable Gift or are we putting Him to the side, regarding the Gift as of little or no significance in our life? I often wonder how great a sacrifice that God the Father and God the Son had to make in orther to save us. I believe that God’s sacrifice is beyond our capability of understanding as created beings. Even when we meet Christ face to face and touch His scars, we will never able to fully understand the significance of this sacrificial gift.
God is tenderly calling us, “Come!”…. And take the free gift of the water of life” (Rev. 22:17). During this Christmas Season, my prayer is that each one of us will treasure the Gift that we received; renew our love toward God, and express our gratitute toward Him for giving us the most essential Gift.
Minh Pham Merideth.
