Sharing Gifts

So that's it - all over for another year! How was your Christmas? 'Quiet', is so often the response to that question, which leaves me wondering whether that is code for 'disappointing.' The anticipation, the house-decorating, the present-buying, the food-cooking somehow makes for an anti-climax. This is why a heart set on welcoming the Christ-child is key to the whole experience. Christmas in the heart, Christmas every day could be our intention.

The family laugh at me on Christmas Day, because once presents are distributed I tend to wait while everyone opens their gifts. I get a real pleasure from seeing the reactions of different family members: whoops of joy, genuine surprise and hugs all round. There is definitely joy in giving as well as receiving. Next Friday (6th) we celebrate Epiphany, which commemorates the visit of the wise men to the infant Jesus. Their gifts are mysteriously inappropriate, it would seem - and costly. You couldn't imagine any child being overjoyed at receiving such gifts, which is why one has to ask 'what do they mean?'  Traditionally, we think of gold for a king, incense for a priest, and myrrh for burial: all aspects of Jesus' life and identity.

But the main point of the visit is surely that these are foreigners, Gentiles, miraculously led to offer their gifts and their worship to a child whose identity they could surely only vaguely comprehend. Yet their gifts are (we understand) gratefully received. A lamb (we imagine) from local shepherds, and expensive gifts from foreign powers are equally worthy offerings. We discern, therefore, that there is no discrimination where God's Son is concerned. The significance is more in the offering than in the gift.

So we infer from this story the supreme importance of generosity. It is more blessed to give than to receive are words attributed to Jesus by St Paul and the people of God by definition need to be good givers. On the other hand, we need a generosity of spirit towards others - for example, those of another faith tradition - making us humble enough to receive what they may want to give us, including and especially those who are different from ourselves.

As a New Year begins, we reflect on how much the current world climate could be changed if there could be such generosity. May we who follow Jesus discover the gifts of our tradition and share them generously, and may we joyfully receive the gifts that others bring as well. (McLaren p104)

To all: a happy, fruitful, and blessed New Year!