Christmas Eve 2019: The Perfect Gift

Giving Gifts

Have you ever been given the perfect gift? You know that gift that reveals that the giver was listening. That gift that has that appropriate mixture of “just what I needed, just what I wanted” and yet still unexpected.

What does it take to give a good gift? What makes it special or meaningful? Is it because you put it on some Amazon list and someone bought you exactly what you asked? Is a gift good because it’s expensive? Is it bad because it’s cheap?

A couple of weeks ago, I asked the teenagers from church about what makes a good gift. I got a variety of responses. Some said gifts are good if they are...

electronic - whether a phone or computer or even a game to play a device - electronic gifts were good gifts for some. Others talked about good gifts being something that is...

Needed - now - something like toilet paper - though needed, probably wouldn’t make a good gift -

wanted -

thoughtfully chosen - they put a great deal of thought and energy behind the gift.

meaningful

Why do we give gifts?

Why do we give gifts in the first place? If you think about it, we are really celebrating Jesus’ birth and yet this is the only birthday party that I get to give and receive gifts.

Tradition states that we give each other gifts in recognition of the gifts that the wisemen gave to Jesus.

Matthew 2:10–11 ESV

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Gift giving in the Middle East was common. It was customary for people to bring something of value to a special event or to a host.

In this case, these wisemen did what was customary. Some have said that they gave good gifts - in part because of their value, but also in part because of their significance. Let’s consider their gifts. The wisemen gave...

Gold - some have said that this is because they came to pay homage to a king. Gold would have been an appropriate gift. Jesus came from a royal line, even though that line was not on the throne at the time of His birth. The wisemen may have come to give a gift fit for a king. Some have said that they simply gave this as a means of providing for the family. In any case, Gold was the perfect gift to give this new born king.

their second gift...

Frankincense - this is a resin used in worship. In the Jewish temple worship, Frankincense was one of the main elements of the approved mixture of incense to be burned in the temple (Ex. 30:9, 34-38). Over the years, many have pointed to Jesus’ office of priest or mediator between God and man marking the appropriateness of this gift. Some have talked about His deity - being born the son of God - as the appropriateness of this gift. I don’t know that the wisemen fully understood the significance of this incense in relation to Jesus. In any case, frankincense was a perfect gift for the Son of God and Priest.

Finally, the wisemen brought...

Myrrh - which is a sap from a tree that is often used in incense mixtures and in perfumes. It has some medicinal purposes - easing topical pain and helping to soothe sores. This could have been a very valuable and helpful gift to Mary and Joseph as they raised Jesus - he would have needed this when he was teething. He also would have benefited from myrrh to help to heal those scapes that children inevitably get running around and playing. Myrrh was also used as a part of an embalming fluid at the time of someones burial. What was practical for Mary and Joseph becomes symbolically significant for us as myrrh reminds us that this baby came to live a perfect life and then die a cruel death so that we might have a right relationship with God. Myrrh was a perfect gift for parents of a baby boy and for the suffering servant.

The wisemen seemed like they were good givers - they gave generously (these were not cheap), practically (they were very useful gifts for this young family), and thoughtfully (especially when we consider the grander significance of these gifts, they were thoughtfully given).

The Perfect Gift

The ultimate recipient of their gifts was a gift Himself.

Galatians 4:4–5 ESV

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

God gave us in His Son just what we needed. You see...

His son - divine perfect - there is no wrong in him, there is no sin. His is wholly divine.

Born of a woman - he was human like us - he had all of our physical attributes. He experienced the joys and sorrows of life just like we do. He is wholly human - fully God, fully human. He was also...

Born under the law - like us - You see the law reveals the standard, the law reveals where we go wrong. He was tempted just like we are, and yet he did not sin. When the light the law shines on our lives, it reveals all of my flaws - my idolatry, greed, pride, envy. When the light of the law shines on Jesus - it only reveals his holiness, his purity

To make a always for us to be adopted as his children.

Jesus is the perfect gift for us. You see we have a sin problem that separates us from God. Being God Himself, Jesus can bridge that separation. Being human, Jesus can relate to us. Being born under the law and yet not breaking the law - Jesus fulfilled all that the law required in his life and then became the perfect sacrifice for us in his death, burial and resurrection. As the song said - he bore our cross.

Like the gifts of the wisemen, this gift of Jesus was given generously - you see God gave His Son. God gave practically - Jesus’ entrance into the world, his life, death and resurrection solve a practical problem for us - whether we want to realize it or not - in some ways it’s like that gift you never knew you needed - and yet it solves a problem you’ve been dealing with for a long time. God also gave thoughtfully - for Him, the sacrifice of His Son was not so that we could experience some brief transaction - but His gift brings us into a relationship with Him as His adopted children - for eternity.