Good morning Blogging Family! You’ve probably inferred that I’m going to tell you that my book is now 40% off. That it would make the perfect gift for old friends or a new coworker who’s going through X, or that incorrigible relative who refuses any and all olive branches, so what have you got to lose, really?

There. I’ve just said all the stuff you thought I was going to say. Now we can get off to the real start! You see, this post isn’t meant to be one more advertisement promising the key to previously unattainable happiness is just waiting to be unwrapped under the Christmas tree.

Rather, I want to talk about how we give to and receive gifts from each other, human to human, and how our natural and learned behaviors played into the drama of Jesus’ life on earth.

Starting in the present, I am a terrible gift-giver. It’s not that my heart is in the wrong place. I love seeing people happy, and am frequently overcome by the suspense before they open their package and (hopefully) smile. Very few people share their secrets with me when Christmas is in the air.

Yes, I love giving presents. But I’m never sure what to give other people. I know what I like, and I try to imagine what the other person might like, but that’s typically where I go off the rails. Example: Did you know there are shampoo brushes on Amazon?? So far Ivan has caught me and set matters straight before I do any real damage…so far.

We’ve all experienced the embarrassment of getting something we don’t want. The pain of the forced smile, the mental anguish of “How many times do I have to wear this before I get rid of it?” or “Now I’ve got to remember to put out this vase every time she comes over.” And these are the redeemable situations.

True heartbreak (I believe) hits children the hardest. There’s the injury of not getting something you wanted, often accompanied by the insult of seeing it given to someone else. One year when my sister and I were in elementary school, I noticed a beautiful model horse in a store and pointed it out to my mom and sister. Every time we went to that store, I asked permission to leave the shopping cart and visit what I quickly termed “my horse.” I barely noticed that Anna was tagging along.

Until Christmas morning, when she discovered “my horse” under sheets of red-and-green wrapping paper. I couldn’t believe it. Could I have been any more obvious about what I wanted for Christmas? Everything moved in slow motion as I unwrapped my own present. I don’t remember what it was, although I’m sure my parents would have chosen something well-made, practical, and probably even attractive like new clothes or shoes. According to me that Christmas morning, I’d just been big-sistered out of my dream gift.

So how do these contemporary examples mirror how people in biblical times received Jesus that very first Christmas?

First, God’s long-awaited, greatly-anticipated Savior of the world was not a gift on Israel’s wavelength. No one, not even her fiancé Joseph, believed Mary’s story about the angel Gabriel – even though Scripture suggests she had a sterling reputation until that point. None of the gospels record the townspeople of Bethlehem stampeding Joseph and Mary’s stall to see their Savior after they heard the shepherds’ good news. The Messiah was supposed to be a powerful king who would set them free from captivity – currently Rome. A little baby was good for nothing. Shampoo brush, anyone?

Second, the Jews just plain did not want grown-up Jesus. He hadn’t transformed into that mighty king they’d been expecting for thousands of years. Jesus was just a carpenter, carrying on the family trade. His miracles piqued their interest, to be sure, but could anyone this average really be Messiah material? Stop the jaw-dropping miracles and sizzling religious debates, and most of the thrill-seekers following Jesus would vanish overnight. The prophet Isaiah says it well (53:1-2):

Who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

The third example is actually taken from God’s perspective. We know that God created the world and everything in it to reflect his perfect holiness and creativity. When our always-present, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving, all-wise, and unfathomably holy God pronounces something “good” – the human word “good” becomes an understatement. I like the way the Westminster Shorter Catechism explains our purpose on this planet: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him for ever” (Q&A #1).

God gave us perfection: a perfect relationship with him, the first and perfect marriage, a paradisiacal garden to tend at the heart of a breathtaking planet. And we didn’t want it. Starting with Adam and Eve’s original sin in the Garden of Eden, and continuing through each individual’s sin up to the present moment, we tell God his perfect present to us isn’t perfect enough. We’d rather have fame, or pleasure, or worldly relationships, or revenge, or wealth, or…anything but a right relationship with our Creator.

Adding insult to God’s injury, we deny the thanksgiving and adoration due our Creator and Messiah, only to throw them away mindlessly to gods who cannot satisfy or be satisfied. There will always be more weight to lose, another gym to join. Can you really afford the low mpg on that new collectible car? What about your profile on the latest dating app? Would your church friends recognize you? Not all of these are specifically Christmas gifts, per se, but they’re all purportedly “harmless” things that can hijack our hearts and replace God. We placate our consciences by tossing God our leftovers: church, the occasional bible study, maybe even coffee with a mentor.

My point in comparing human gift-giving with biblical Messiah-receiving is not to preach gloom and doom. My point is that we humans have similar tendencies no matter which century we live in. Sometimes, beginning with the familiar helps us identify with the unfamiliar. People in Bible times reacted to Jesus’ miraculous birth much like we might react to an unwanted gift today. Both they and we prefer investing our time, interests, and efforts where the crowd is. What a happy coincidence when Jesus is in the crowd, too!

As we look forward to celebrating the coming of our Savior in a few more days, I’m challenging myself as well as you: Where do things stand between you, God, and your Christmas present? Have you accepted the Messiah as your personal Lord and Savior? If not, send me a message! If you have, where are you investing your time and energy this Christmas? Where would others say your priorities are? Do you live like you’ve accepted God’s offer of redemption?

May the Lord bless us and guide us as we seek to follow him this Christmas season.