“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that every one who believes in him shall not be lost, but should have eternal life.” John 3:16 (JB Phillips)

The season of Christmas is imbedded fairly deep in my memory and consciousness. I remember my parents decorating our home, including putting up long strings of colored lights, outlining the roofline of our house. It was a particular job that I enjoyed as a young boy. There was something exciting about climbing high up on the lofty gables of our home and challenging the laws of gravity and good sense. Now ascending a three foot high stool sends my heart racing…

I also have a fairly strong association with the giving and receiving of gifts at Christmas. In fact, as a child growing up, it was often the aspect most anticipated and celebrated. Colorfully wrapped packages underneath a well-decorated Christmas tree were like catnip to me. I was drawn into the place of wonder and excitement. I often had very specific expectations about what gifts I hoped to receive. I knew what I wanted and what my heart was set on.

As a self-centered little boy I also remember getting gifts I needed more than wanted. Typically it was from my grand parents. It was the warm sweater instead of the exciting, shiny toy. It was a pair of dress shoes appropriate for church and solemn occasions. It was a monetary contribution to my future, realized at some far off time, rather than just something immediately gratifying.

God gave the world and humanity the gift of His Son so that the world and humanity might know how much He loved them all. God gave what was most precious to Him as a manifestation of His infinite love for all humanity. It was a gift of inestimable value to Him.

But, what if the gift God gave was not the gift we were expecting? What if the gift God gave was not what we wanted, but what we actually needed.

John says this about Jesus, “He came to His own and His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:11) The gift of God was given and delivered, but on arrival was rejected because it didn’t meet the expectations of self-centered children, when in fact it would exceed all expectations and ideas of goodness and love.

What if the gift came and it wasn’t what we as children were expecting to receive? What if it came in plain packaging rather than some spectacular wrapping? And, what if, upon receiving it, our limited imaginations and understanding couldn’t comprehend the potential revealed there?

Christmas involves receiving the gift of God with faith. It is trusting that the almighty and all-knowing God understands exactly the gift we need to accomplish the greatest joy and the very best in our lives. At Christmas Jesus comes in the most ordinary and understated ways. Though the announcement of His birth is heralded by angelic choirs, it occurs out in an obscure field among the sheep and their shepherds. Though it is accompanied by heavenly signs, they are only recognized by foreigners willing to travel. Though He is God with us we see initially only a vulnerable and helpless baby, like us. It can just seem far too ordinary and mundane.

Faced with these circumstances we can dismiss this most precious gift of God as irrelevant to our desires and needs. But Christmas challenges us to trust God’s goodness and love and, by faith, dig beneath the surface of the ordinary to experience the glory of the extraordinary. If the gift God gives seems less than what we expected or wanted, we may need to re-evaluate our understanding of what is not only good, but the very best we can ever receive. We may need to look beneath the surface of shallow delights and discover the deeper, more comprehensive goodness and love of God.

May your appetites and desires this Christmas mature further so that you will recognize, appreciate and be transformed by God’s most precious gift, Jesus. Here is some music to encourage your reflection this day.