Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Dec/85

Contributor - Freda Witteveen

Title - Christmas Giving.- God's Gift of Grace

Topic - Christmas

When we are little children we tend to see ourselves as the centre of our own little universe and seem to naturally expect gifts to come to us. With the passing of time the pattern changes and we become obligated to provide gifts to others such as our own children, at birthdays, Christmas, weddings, and other such special occasions. As children, receiving a gift or a little treat made us happy for a time.

My family is a large one and over the years Christmas gift-giving has become quite a production. For those of us who are still students or who have young families, it has become too costly to give each family member a gift, to express our feelings at Christmas time. As an alternative the clan usually assembles at Thanksgiving for the ritualistic name-drawing ceremony in which adults choose the name of one family member to buy a gift for, while the same process is repeated for the children. The discussion which follows on how much to spend on the gifts can take the better part of an afternoon. This year we decided to spend less money on the gift and give the remaining money to a charity. The logistics of this particular plan may require yet another family summit conference.

The elaborate customs attached to exchanging gifts in this family do not diminish the joy of the actual experience. We spend time preparing dream lists which are posted on the fridge at my mother's home. Shopping for just the right present for that person can be a real challenge. Wrapping the present will usually require the assistance of my children, while the anticipation of the response of the recipient is all part of the pleasure of giving,

I love to see a child receive a gift, to sense their excitement as the wrappings are tom away, and to witness the wide smile and shining eyes as they behold their new treasure. The little ones will often totter over to the giver to offer a kiss or hug or a shy "thank you".

It is indeed fortunate for mankind that when God sent His great gift to us it was not necessary for Him to hold a lengthy conference first, to receive unanimous approval, to decide on the value of the gift, and just who should receive it. The gift was bestowed in a simple manner, in a place where few would expect it, and the event was not advertised extensively beforehand to draw attention to the giver.

God's gift has no strings attached. He does not require from us effusive thanks or a gushing emotional response. God's gift of grace, through His Son, our Messiah, came out of His unending love for His lost children, not because we wanted it or because we deserved it. After all of the many blessings God has provided for His people in the past and all of the marvellous goodness He has shown to us today, after all that, God gave all that He had, His only begotten Son.

The gift is celebrated at Christmas by believers, but the gift is for everyone and can be accepted at any time by a heart which is in need, which is suffering from the slings and arrows of this wicked world. The heart that accepts the gift of God is a heart ready to believe salvation has been prepared when the Prince of Peace surrendered His life for those who have sinned and become separated from God. This is a heart newly made right with God, not just at Christmas but throughout the year.

From the Christmas story and the example of many others in the Bible, at this season of the year we are able agin to learn how to be a cheerful and generous giver. We urge you to bring the gift of grace to your home and your community this Yule: to homes for battered wives and abused children, clinics that provide help for alcoholics and drug addicts, for men and women who were in prison and who are trying to rejoin society. We read of God's giving in John 1:16, 17, "And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

God's gift of grace is actually composed of several parts, like opening a large present to find several others inside. In II Thessalonians 2:16 we find, ". . . God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace". Such a gift no earthly father could ever offer to his children. Comfort and hope! In Romans 5:12 we learn what our hope is for-. " Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God".

Additional assurance we find in Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God".

In conclusion I pray, at this hallowed Christmas time and at the closing of this year, thatjoy, comfort and hope of God's grace may dwell within your hearts and that throughout the year ahead you may share this gift to shed light in the darkness of our world.

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