By Pastor Stephen Mims, Pisgah Lutheran Church
“What am I gonna get?”
As a child, that question consumed my thoughts from Black Friday until 7am Christmas morning. (That’s the earliest my parents would get up). For me, the lights, cookies, decorations, and holiday TV specials were merely added bonuses to the true meaning of Christmas—getting presents. Sure, I knew that Jesus was the real reason for the Season, but I also knew that He was the best gift ever. That simply confirmed it. Christmas is all about getting.
Then, when I was 9, my 11-year-old brother got the idea that we should give our parents a ceiling fan for Christmas. This was quite the gift, given our $5/week allowance. We had to save up for months, but it was totally worth it. When I saw the look on my parents’ faces as they opened this amazing gift, in that moment I realized that true joy wasn’t in getting. It’s in giving.
The Bible tells us, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35 NRSV). That Christmas I experienced this reality for the first time, and as I look back on Christmases past, the gifts I remember most aren’t the ones I was given. They’re the ones I gave. That’s because the true joy of Christmas is found in generosity. Studies have shown that giving to others actually produces a reaction in our brain that creates happiness and that the happiest people in the world tend to be more generous than others. Therefore, giving shouldn’t simply be a holiday tradition. It should be a way of life. So remember, when the tree comes down and the decorations are back in the attic, toys may break, clothes wear out, and electronics die, but the joy of generosity lasts a lifetime.
