You picked out the perfect gift. Sure, it was a little out of your price range, but the recipient is well worth it. They hold a special place in your heart. This gift needs to say, “I love you! You matter to me.”
You watch a smile spread across their face when you hand it to them. The fancy wrapping paper is folded into crisp corners. They slide off the elaborate bow, lift the lid, and gasp. You did it: you gave them more than they hoped for.
Now it’s your turn. They hand you a much smaller box. Instead of expensive paper, it’s been wrapped (none too neatly) in plain paper. Brown twine replaces a costly bow. The gift inside is even more underwhelming. “It’s perfect,” you lie through a forced smile.
A version of this ritual has been happening since the first Christmas, you know? Let’s take a quick walk through the events recorded in the Gospel of Luke and try to identify who gave which gift.
No Gift to Bring
We’ll start where Luke does, with a geriatric couple long past their childbearing years. An angel appeared to Zechariah and promised, “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son . . . and many will rejoice at his birth. . . . He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God” (Luke 1:13–14,16).
Soon enough, Zechariah’s wife was pregnant with their son, John. The hearts of the stunned parents were filled with gratitude, but surely they also wondered, Why us? and How can we raise a boy to prepare the way for the Lord?
Mary must have known such trepidation. Gabriel brought her a pregnancy announcement too, but this time the stakes were higher:
“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.” (Luke 1:31–33)
How do you parent the Son of God? When the new baby cried, Mary surely wondered, What comfort can I offer the Prince of Peace?
Then there were the shepherds—lowly men doing a lowly job when the sky above them filled with supernatural wonder. The glory of the Lord lit up their lives and told them to find the baby King, but how could a stinky shepherd come into the presence of royalty? They offered Him their praise, for they had nothing more to give.
Matthew’s Gospel tells of another bunch. Wise men from the east followed a star to the Savior. It’s true, they brought expensive things: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This must have been the best they had to offer. Still, Jesus spoke everything into existence (Rom. 11:36). He already owned all the precious materials in the universe. Did their gifts suddenly seem insignificant in His presence?
What gift could we possibly offer the One who is now seated on the throne of heaven? As we look to Jesus in this season (and beyond), we must add our dilemma to the beat of the little drummer boy, “I have no gift to bring (pa-rum-pum-pum-pum) that’s fit to give our King (pa-rum-pum-pum-pum).”
Wholeheartedly Devoted
Perhaps you’ve already surmised that the beautiful gift we began with is the gift of Jesus Himself. It is true that His “wrappings” were humble that first Christmas, but the gift of His life and sacrifice is the most lavish present you’ll ever receive.
As Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth wrote in her Advent devotional Born a Child and Yet a King,“This mighty One has chosen to dwell with us, to trade His rightful crown for one of ignoble scorn in order to revive our broken spirits and redeem our wayward hearts.”1
It’s enough to take your breath away.
What gift could you possibly offer in return? Won’t it all seem like a handmade ornament wrapped in twine compared to the gift of His grace? What can you offer Jesus in this season to express your gratitude and hope in Him? You already know:
He doesn’t want your busyness.
He doesn’t need you to manufacture the perfect Christmas morning.
He isn’t waiting for a wrapped gift under the tree.
But perhaps you need this reminder:
He desires the gift of your devotion.
Do you want to give Jesus something special this Christmas? Consider this charge from His Word, “Be wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD our God to walk in his statutes and to keep his commands, as it is today” (1 Kings 8:61).
“Wholeheartedly devoted.” If Jesus had a Christmas list, those words would certainly be on it. His Word confirms, He wants you to love Him with everything you’ve got (Luke 10:27). Of course anything you offer Jesus will seem like an ugly sweater compared to what He’s given you, but don’t let that stunt your worship. No one made it into the Christmas story by giving Jesus something He needed. They simply surrendered themselves to the One who came to save them. Give Him your wholehearted devotion today. Tell Him you’re His, through and through. Your heart is the gift He came for. This Christmas, receive the gift of Jesus and offer yourself in return.
1 Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, Born a Child and yet a King: The Gospel in the Carols: A 31-Day Advent Devotional (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2023), 70.
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