The other night, Lisa and I were trying to finish up our Christmas shopping. We unloaded our arms of gift items on the counter, (we should have gotten a cart!), and waited as the cashier rang up each item and placed it in a bag. As the store employee was finishing her task, she asked, “Do you want gift receipts?” Now, perhaps I was day-dreaming at that moment because when she asked the question, I paused. I was caught in silence for just a few moments, but they felt like an eternity. I have to confess, the question caught me off guard. Gift receipts?! Why would we need gift receipts? My mind couldn’t wrap itself around the idea that someone might actually return the gifts we are purchasing for them. Surely, no one would want to return these cool, radical, audacious, modern, trendy items we had searched so long and hard to buy?! Well, maybe I’m going a little overboard with that last statement! Lol.
In reality, gift receipts are a good idea. You never know when you buy a gift for someone if it is really something they will like or need, or if they already have that item or not. Gift receipts are a courteous item to include with your gift-giving. That is, unless you are referring to God’s Christmas Gift to us. That is one Christmas Gift that was never intended to be returned or rejected and yet, sadly, many people are opting to return, or simply to never receive. That precious gift given by God on the very first Christmas morning was, and is, His Son.
Lifeway (Southern Baptist resources) and USA Today/Gallop, have both recently released surveys in which they studied Americans and Christmas. The surveys revealed that 9 out of 10 Americans celebrate Christmas. 89% of Americans give gifts, 86% enjoy a meal with family or friends, 80% put up a Christmas tree and play holiday music, but only 58% say they “encourage belief in Jesus Christ as Savior.” The survey went on to state that only 47% attend Christmas Eve or Christmas Day worship and only 28% read or tell the Christmas story from the Bible.
Scott McConnell, the director of Lifeway research says that most people “give a head not to Jesus while they spend their time and dime pleasing themselves.” John Ed Mathison on his blog writes, “Most people who say that Christmas is religious, skip church, omit Jesus, and zero in on the eggnog.”
Let’s not add to the secularization of Christmas. We live in this world, but for us who are followers of Christ, Jesus called us to “come out” of the world. Jesus called us to be “salt and light” (Matthew 5: 13-14). As Christians, we are to influence the world, not the world influence us. we are to be reminders and reflectors of God's Love and His message of Hope and Salvation! This weekend, may you enjoy your family. Enjoy giving and receiving gifts. But don’t return the greatest gift, the only gift that really matters – Jesus! Make this a Christ-centered Christmas. Worship Him as a Family. Read the Christmas Story around the tree! Remind yourself and everyone around you whose birthday it really is!
Merry Christmas!
