The original gift of Christmas

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/12/2023 (740 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As Christmas Day draws ever closer, our communities have opportunities to draw closer as well. From holiday season concerts in schools to Christmas carols in churches to workplace Christmas parties, this time of the year is filled with ways to bring people closer, even if just for a little while.

With the cold in the wind chased away by the warmth of a cuppa (you choose hot chocolate or warm eggnog or another tasty beverage) and those favourite Christmas cookies that Grandma used to make, there is a sense of coziness and a desire to be with the people we love at this grand time of year.

There is no escaping the fact that the Christmas season, whether you are a Christian or not, lends itself to gatherings and community.

For those of us who are believers in Christ, this feast we celebrate on Christmas Day is one that is absolutely about community. However, this isn’t a gated or exclusive community. Quite to the contrary, Christianity at its heart is an open and welcoming gathering.

That first Christmas gift — Jesus himself — was one that was given for every child, everywhere. Joseph and Mary weren’t discriminating in who was invited to the party! At the birth of their child were shepherds fresh from the fields with sheep in tow, and I don’t imagine they stopped to freshen up before they arrived!

Later, wise ones from the east joined them bearing extravagant gifts the baby wouldn’t need for years. There were cows and goats and all the sounds and smells that came with them.

This birth party was one for the record books for many reasons, but the biggest reason of all was the birthday boy himself.

In our day and age, the birth of Jesus can be easily forgotten as the excitement, anticipation, and preparations arrive for that other surprise guest to our homes at Christmas — Santa Claus. While we all enjoy the fun of leaving milk and cookies and maybe even some carrots for Rudolf, our focus on what the big guy with the red suit might leave us can lead to overlooking the more incredible gifts we receive each Christmas Day (and every other day as well) from that baby who predates even Santa!

New X-Boxes and dolls that walk and talk are all well and good, but eventually we mature beyond their relevance in our lives. As we get older and recognize the need for relationships in a world that can seem ever more distancing, we may just begin wishing for different Christmas gifts.

Our wish lists might include such things as a friend to chat with when loneliness sets in, or maybe someone to give us a call when we haven’t seen them for a while. We may begin to recognize that there is more to life than receiving and begin looking for ways that we can give back.

Seeing our child’s friend whose family is struggling and may need a little extra help this season, and next … Recognizing that our old high school basketball prowess is needed at our local kids’ hangout, even if we might be a little rusty! As we get older and wiser we might just begin to realize that we are seeing Christmas and our ability to live into the season beginning to shift.

That shift can start in us when we live into one of the gifts given to us by Jesus himself on that first Christmas Day. He gave us the gift of love. The love shared with all of humanity was not given only for those who haven’t been naughty. They’re included! The love that Jesus gives us still to this day is a Christmas gift that is at once both for us as individuals that we may know we are special in God’s eyes, and it is also the gift of love that fills us up to overflowing so that we might share it with other people around us.

Christmas in its truest and best sense is all about love and community. When we love, we build community. When we join a community, we receive love. Jesus really does give us the greatest Christmas gifts ever!

» Rachael Parker is the Bishop-elect for the Anglican Diocese of Brandon. She will be moving to Brandon in March 2024.