The Age of the Gift Receipt.

“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” - John 1:11-12

‘Tis the season to give gifts to loved ones. A rather recent phenomenon in our culture of Christmas is to attach a gift receipt to the gift, just in case the one receiving the gift did not like it and wants to return it. In fact, many people have moved away from giving gifts to preferring to give gift cards to places in which you can purchase a wide variety of things.

This change in gift giving speaks to a new trend: Gift giving no longer focuses on the joy of the giver, but on the desires of the receiver. This is a problem when we think of the first Christmas. Jesus has come to us, and God has not attached a gift receipt. Either we receive Him, or we do not. So why should we receive Jesus?

It’s simple: to belong and be loved by the God who made us. We are given the right to become the children of God and born of God when we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior by faith. Let’s return to understanding the gift of Jesus from the perspective of the joy of the giver: our Father God who wants to love and guide and bless and protect us throughout this life. But this means it is not about what is received. It is about loving the Giver!