The season of giving

Father Abraham

Christmas is a season for the giving of gifts. This makes the Christmas season a much more cheerful season than other seasons. Normally, we give gifts to those who give us gifts in return. Most people prefer to give gifts rather than receive gifts during the Christmas season. Many people eagerly wait for the month of December to celebrate Christmas and generously give gifts to others. The commercial promotion of modern times converts the Christmas season as a holiday shopping season. The real meaning and spirit of Christmas season is missing when we are busy shopping for gifts, baking cakes or cookies and Christmas partying. Christmas remains the most observed and most popular celebration in the world. The true Christmas celebration is rooted in an event. The event of the birth of Child Jesus took place in the manger at Bethlehem, in Israel, during the rule of Herod the Great. The birth of the Baby Jesus stands as the most significant event in all history. Christ was born in the first century, yet he belongs to all centuries. He was born in Bethlehem, yet He belongs to all nations in the world. The Bible tells the birth of Jesus brought great joy to all in the world. After the birth of Jesus, the Angel said to the shepherds. “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David’s hometown a Saviour was born for you. He is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11) The meaning of Christmas season is a season of giving. This is really the heart of the mystery of Christmas, and the heart of Christian faith itself: the sacrificial love of God for us. God the Father gave us a Divine Gift, Jesus on Christmas Day. Two thousand years ago, God gave us a gift - Jesus, born in Bethlehem. The Bible tells us it was a gift motivated by a love that expected nothing in return. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) In the celebration of the Christmas season, we re-enact the history of salvation. In the Christmas season we reflect what kind of love humankind received from our God, who has become also God-with-us, Emmanuel. Among world religions, this element is unique to Christian faith. Christmas is about celebrating God’s gift to the world through the birth of Jesus Christ. God gave fully and loved perfectly in Jesus Christ. He did not give His divine gift to the beautiful and gracious people who deserved redemption, but to the people who were filled with enmity and hatred. Love brought Jesus down so that God’s people could once have a closer relationship with Him. We, the people of God, share the love of God during this season. Gift-giving is a part of the Christmas celebration and Christ was given to mankind as a gift by the Father. Gifts of love are not always material; for love motivates acts of kindness and acts of sacrifice. The gift of love produces peace and joy in family, in society and in the world. The Christmas spirit of love changes hearts and lives because we are celebrating the amazing love of God, our Father in Heaven, through the divine gift of Jesus. Having been loved so much by God, we see in our every act of love toward others as a sign of the divine image and likeness and we give thanks.