Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! And belated Happy Thanksgiving!
We are officially in the holiday season, now that we’ve enjoyed Thanksgiving and December is here. This is the time of year when we do lots of festive things such as: Christmas parties, decorating our houses, buying and wrapping presents, baking special Christmas treats / cookies, Christmas cards and more. There’s also the fun music that goes with this season, songs like: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Deck the Halls, O Holy Night, Jingle Bells, O Come All Ye Faithful and heaps more! With all of the activities, hustle and bustle, it’s easy to miss some essential things that make Christmas such a great season.
An important part of Christmas is gift giving, so let’s think about the whole idea of presents and presence. When I was a kid, Christmas had a lot to do with presents – I was always hoping to get cool gifts and stuff that I wanted. I also gave thought to what presents I’d get my family and friends. Presents (buying, wrapping and giving) are integral to Christmas. At the same time, let’s keep in mind that Jesus’ presence is God’s ultimate present to humanity.
Remember what it says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Furthermore, consider what it says in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” The word, “Immanuel” is a Hebrew word that literally means, “God with us.” Jesus’ human existence is literally God’s presence as the ultimate present given to humanity.
While it’s essential that we remember that Jesus is a divine gift, let’s also keep in mind that God considers our presence as a present. Indeed, when Jesus was at the darkest point in His ministry at the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked His closest friends (Peter, James and John) to keep Him company (to give Him their presence) during His anguish and distress. When we read about this in Mark 14:32-42, we see that Jesus’ friends kept falling asleep and were unable to give Him their presence or company to Him in His darkness.
In thinking about the close connection of presence and presents, let’s keep in mind during the business of the Christmas festivities that presence can be the best present, full stop. Jesus is God’s present to humanity, and we can give God our presence (time, attention, affection, etc.).
You’ll note that this blog is a smidgen shorter than usual because I’d like to encourage you to take the extra few minutes to give your presence to Jesus – the best present you could ever give Him: yourself! Merry Christmas.
