Merry Christmas! On this Christmas Eve, I hope you can leave the hustle and bustle of preparation behind to encounter the true spirit of the season … presents! Ok, just kidding. I know that presents are not the reason for the season—Jesus is! But if you ask my 10-year-old, gifts are a close second.
According to Gallup, Americans had planned to spend an average of $1,007 on holiday gifts this year. And a survey put out by WalletHub found that 42% of Americans say the hardest part of the season is figuring out what to buy for people. Why do we put so much pressure on finding the right gift? Might it be that we are simply responding to the gift that was given to the world more than 2,000 years ago?
There is an excitement that comes from gift-giving. When a loved one opens a package and reacts with such joy, we are able to capture a glimpse of that first Christmas morning. We read about a similar joy in Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth. The excitement of Mary and Joseph, the decrees of the angels, and, in our reading for today, the joy of the shepherds.
What was the shepherds’ response after being serenaded by an angel choir? To go and see this little baby lying in a manger. “Let’s go to Bethlehem!” is their response, and when they get there, they encounter the promise of the Messiah. These lowly shepherds (not kings, not scholars, not nobility) meet the Christ child and what is their reaction?
After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child (Luke 2:17).
These shepherds did not just go back to their daily lives; they were so filled with joy that they went and told everyone. This long-awaited gift was finally here, and the secret could not be contained. The world needed to know that the Christ child was born.
These shepherds received the gift of joy and shared it with the world around them, and we are called to do the same. So may you see glimpses of this joy when giving gifts. May you spread this joy with the world around you. And may you live this joy this Christmas as we celebrate the Savior.
Reflection:
- How do you typically respond to the gift of Jesus in your life, and in what ways might your response mirror the shepherds’ eagerness to seek, celebrate, and share the good news?
- What gifts—spiritual or practical—have you received from God this year, and how might you share those gifts or that joy with the people around you?
- In the midst of the busyness and expectations of the season, what helps you pause and truly encounter the joy of Christ’s birth, rather than getting caught up in the pressure of giving the “perfect” gift?