WHAT GIFTS WILL YOU BRING?

Reading: "On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh" - Matthew 2:11

Christmas is often an adventure into the distant corners of our relationships.  This is especially when it comes to finding a gift for one of the many persons that is probably on your list.  This is sometimes an exercise with embarrassing possibilities because you often find that you do not know the person well enough to select more than a generic gift.  As a grandparent, how often have you found yourself forgetting the age of a grandchild and then selecting a game that is an insult to their advancing years, (Yes 13 is not the same as three).  Or discovering that you spend so little time in conversation with someone that you end up selecting a gift of which they already have several. Then there's the embarrassment/frustration that comes when they supply a wish list reveals that they have no clue how poor you are.

That's why stores now issue gift receipts. It is also why "re-gifting" has become an acceptable practice in our culture. It also may explain why that thank you from your grandchild living five states away seems to have been carefully coached by a parent trying to help you save face and hiding the basic ingratitude or disinterest the child feels towards the present.

Personally, some of the best gifts are those that have been created by the loving hands of the giver, who obviously had me in mind.  And who knew what warmed my heart.  Those gifts are rarely shiny, cost next to nothing, and are unappreciated by the others around you. But they are the most precious gifts of all because they say in undeniable ways -- you matter.

When God entered the world he brought a gift - the gift of a Savior.  The wise men's gifts were gold for a king, incense for worship, and myrrh for burial.  Appropriate gifts that reflected God's gifts.

This Christmas what gift will you bring to the manger?

(C) 2011 Stephen L Dunn