My mom heard a statistic on the radio the other day that
something like 95% of people (presumably this only includes those who celebrate
Christmas) know what they are getting for Christmas before Christmas day. After
a few minutes of casual Googling, the only statistic I can find is that out of
1000 people in the UK, 1/3 of them actually admitted to searching their house
for gifts, and some of them even opened them. Regardless of how accurate these
statistics are, I can attest in my own life that they are (somewhat
inadvertently) true.
I have known what I was going to get for Christmas nearly
every year. You see, I usually latch onto one toy or idea or item, and because
I am blessed with a very generous extended family, it usually happens. One
year, I was utterly OBSESSED with American Girl dolls, and my mom’s side of the
family got together and pooled resources and outfitted me with all the basics,
wrapped up like a little village. My dad’s father enjoyed being Santa Claus,
and all we had to do was give him a list of a couple “big ticket” items and he
was nearly always good for it (my cousins usually asked for video games, I was
more practical and asked for things like printers and office chairs, though
there was one year where I got a nail polish maker… and then there was the infamous
stocking mix-up of ’98 where all I got was a pair of stickers, and my cousins
were unwrapping Gameboys…). Last year, my very generous aunt got me a Kindle
when I mentioned it on a whim, thinking, well, if people give me some money,
then I can pool my resources and invest in one. The Kindle was a huge blessing
on the Race, and I was very thankful for its capability to receive 3G when we
were in the middle of nowhere.
This year was no exception. I had my heart set on a Wii
(cheaper than a gym membership, and more portable too), and essentially gave my
mom very guided instructions where to buy it (Target) and when (before we had
lunch at Panera that day, while they still had on-sale limited edition Red
ones). Then the one gift that was supposed to be a surprise (a very handy food
steamer, which I am excited to use) was accidentally discovered while searching
for lotion in the spare room. I thought maybe that was the gift she had gotten
for my dad and forgotten, but alas, no, that was the one gift I didn’t know
about. Oops.
So when there is no surprise to Christmas, when you get what
you wanted, but nothing seems truly magical anymore, sometimes I feel a little
disappointed. I look forward to Christmas all year, but sometimes I forget to
look forward to the Christ part of it all.
Now if you are still with me and haven’t given me up as an
utterly materialistic, ridiculous person, and lest you think I learned
absolutely NOTHING on the World Race, allow me to draw some parallels, and
explain why this matters.
Hearken back, if you will, to the days of Jesus. According
to a statistic I found here, at its peak, the Jewish population was only 1.8%
of the total world’s population. So less than TWO PERCENT of people even knew
to be expecting Jesus approximately 2010 (give or take a few) years ago. They
hadn’t really heard from God in around 400 years, and did not know when the
Servant of the Lord, who had long been prophesied about, would come.
So think about the first Christmas (that did NOT take place
in December). Only 2% (max) of people even knew about the possibility of Jesus,
and only a select few individuals even got to see Jesus that first day. (Mary,
Joseph, and the shepherds). Now, they were properly excited and surprised-the
Son of God is here, Today, Finally, after a long period of waiting.
But I can help but wonder if maybe some people weren’t
disappointed. The ones who found out later, who didn’t see the angels or the
ethereal glow (if it was even there). God sent us a baby? Puh-leeeeze. Would
they have doubted? Were they disappointed? From teaching I’ve received, I
understand many of the Jews thought Jesus would come all hellfire and
brimstone, ready to take back the kingdom from all the conquerors.
But that wasn’t His agenda. His agenda was to love and to
teach and to share and to provide people a way back to the Father. His agenda
was a full-on exposure for the world to the glorious grace of God. That we
could not EARN our way to salvation, and instead, it was all about a FREE gift.
And I am not talking the kinds of free gifts you get at JC Penney’s or Macy’s
being one of the first 1000 shoppers on Black Friday (I actually got one this
year…a cutesy little snowglobe…). Or free gift with purchase, like if you spend
$200 at Sephora on Black Friday.
This was (and is) a free gift for all who will receive it.
Would it have been a shock to their system? This idea that
you cannot earn salvation, that no amount of lamb’s blood could truly cover
your sin, and you needed Jesus, a guy who probably looked like the rest of
them, like us, who was distinguishable only by action and word, not by looks,
to get there.
It goes against human nature. It defies logic. Kind of like
Santa Claus, but infinitely better.
And when you finally get it, when you stop trying to earn
it, and just receive your gift, how amazing.
When you stop peeking and stop planning and stop trying to
make sure everything’s just perfect and then
you’ll be happy, and stop trying to make Christmas perfect and instead just
enjoy it for what it is, a day to celebrate when God’s love came down to us, to
create a way back to Him and to His glorious love and riches and
presents/blessings, and ultimately HIS PRESENCE, then maybe the tinge of
disappointment will disappear and you can just rest in His salvation, and His
grace, and His presence.
Or at
least, that’s what I am going to try to do.
Merry Christmas and May God’s Blessings &
more importantly, His Presence, be with you now and always.
