I have the tremendous joy of teaching and serving alongside a great group of gals that God placed in my circle through a life group experience. We have been studying together for about 8 years. We have really developed our fellowship and have learned each other’s quirks and idiosyncrasies and have had a ton of laughs over most of them. One of our favorite activities has been gift exchanges. We play Naughty Santa at our Christmas gathering and even have carried it over to springtime to “bless” our fellowship with household treasures and upcycle. At least, that’s what we tell ourselves. Nothing like used tupperware or out of date decorating to bind hearts together.
Most have played various versions of this game at Christmastime. You draw a number, and the gifts are placed in an area on display. When your turn comes, you pick a wrapped gift from the supply…or… you steal something from another player who has already opened their gift. You take theirs and then that person who has just mourned the loss of an item gets another stab at the supply. Often the victim opens something, better which, causes us all to laugh at the justice doled out to the thief in question. This goes on until all gifts have been opened, stolen, or retired. The rule is a gift can only change hands three times then it is “retired.” Of course, you know, that sweet little Santa figurine or that farmhouse basket passes through many hands. Often, at the end of the game, there is sidebar trading and certainly plenty of laughter and ribbing. Our group jokes that we are not sure encouraging theft, and coveting is part of our mission statement as a class but seriously it is all in good fun. Many of us have traded up and went home with something far better than what we arrived with.
Naturally there are other forms of gift giving traditions like secret santa or perhaps families as they grow begin to draw names. I came from a large extended family, so we always drew names to control spending and make it more fun. Gift giving is supposed to be done in a spirit of generosity, not obligation and there is nothing worse than having to purchase a gift that your heart is not just in. As Christians, we give to honor and remember God’s benevolent love and the gift of sending Christ, salvation as our ultimate gift. Gift giving is an invitation to show kindness, generosity and demonstrate love to each other like God imparted to us.
In my previous post, I examined how the Magi accepted the invitation to participate in the gift exchange of a lifetime. They protected those fragile and valuable gifts over 2 years and hundreds of miles. I often wonder if when they arrived at the camel or donkey rest stops, did they examine their luggage to see if the gift was still intact? That’s what I did when we traveled. I checked on those presents in the trunk and Jim and I had lots of moments of intense fellowship as we determined where they were going to ride for the duration.
When the Wisemen arrived, the invitation to give expanded into an invite to worship. I loved that they were warned upon their departure from Bethlehem to take a different route to avoid Herod, who Himself wanted a little bit of gift exchange. He wanted information regarding where the newborn king was so he could worship too. The original naughty player in gift exchange, no generosity there, only deceit and selfish gain.
When I examine how God still invites me into gift exchange, the scripture has words to encourage me. The bible tells me believers are given various types of gifts.(Romans 12: 6-8) to build up the fellowship of believers and to bring Christ glory. God also invites us to participate in sharing our gifts, not just for others good but for the good of ourselves. Just like the wise men, when we share our gift, worship results. Ephesians 3:7 reminds me it is the grace of God working within me when I am using my gifts. There is nothing like reflecting on God’s grace that will humble us and extract extravagant worship. When I think of the invitation and the worship experience the wise men had as a result of God’s call, the word extravagant comes to my mind.
Sometimes our worship is far from extravagant and gets flat. It can get commercialized just like Christmas can get if we pass the manger and hurry to the market. Timothy in his first chapter reminds us to “kindle afresh our gift.” and not to “neglect our gifts that have been bestowed on us.” Maybe worship is flat because our gift exchange has become one sided. You know, where do we show up and want church or worship to give us that “feel better” experience while we lay nothing down but 45 minutes of distracted time? I know this because I have tried it. True worship occurs out of the spirit of truth. The apostle John told us this in his writings along with the reminder that the Father is seeking those who worship in such a way. This reminds me I have been invited to offer what God has placed within me back to Him and he blesses me with the joy and refreshing that comes with true adoration of Him. What a grace gift to be invited to such a marvelous gift exchange as this that God alone has authored. Just like my life group gift exchange, I always go away with something better than I brought.
In terms of naughty gift exchange, it calls my attention to struggles we all have at times with the coveting of other folks gifts. Amazing voices that can sing and shake the rafters or instrumentalists, and composers that can bring a symphony to life, can cause us to hunger for things God has not called us to. Sometimes others talents and gifts can intimidate or cause us envy and jealousy. It is important to remember that God has placed within us the gifts and talents which best suit our temperaments and callings. I need to “retire” these feelings of inadequacy and longing for what others have and exchange them for thankfulness of the good God has placed in others and the blessing they can be to me and the Glory they bring to God.When I do this, then myself and others can participate in corporate worship and be of one mind and one purpose. That is, to Honor Christ and demonstrates our love for Him. If I had lived to be present along with the Magi, might I have been the one saying “Oh you brought Frankincense, wish I would have thought of that, I always loved Frankincense ”or” Who did that awesome wrapping job?”It seems ridiculous, but there are scary elements of truth in this scenario. My focus should always be on the giver, God himself, not the gift or the exchange that others are having. God is not interested in any obligatory gift because He knows when my heart is not in it. His desire is for me to embrace the exchange, to come with anticipation and excitement, not dread.
The true joy of the gift exchange is being thankful God invited me and accepting his invitation. Refreshing my awareness that He alone provided any gift I can bring, and fully committing myself to the work of the Holy Spirit to transform and transport me to a truthful place of worship whether I am digging ditches or painting masterpieces. The Magi brought extravagance to the stable as they worshipped the newborn King and treated it as if they were in a Cathedral. They were personally invited to the sanctuary of the Savior. How blessed are we that God Himself would invite us daily, moment by moment, to be a part of His gift exchange. Christ came to earth,exchanging His glory for our humanity, and offering us abundance and joy where superficial and meaningless existence in exile were all we had. Christ exchanged our darkness for light and our despair for hope. Most of all exchanging the gift of His death to bring us life. Oh what gifts we have been given! What an Invitation!!
This Advent as we meditate on the hope of God’s promises, reflect on the faith of Mary and Joseph and the joy of the Wise Men, let us be aware of all the ways God is inviting us and drawing us to Him. Join me next time where the 5 o’clock worker will look at the invitation to love.
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