Today is probably my favorite day out of the entire year. There’s something special about this time of year that is peaceful and brings great joy to my heart. As I was scrolling through Facebook this morning, my timeline was filled with photos of happy families gathered around the Christmas tree and videos of bright faces while unwrapping gifts. Gift exchanges have been a fun tradition in our family; however, this year we opted out of exchanging gifts.
Now before you start start saying “bah humbug,” allow me to explain why we chose to do this. Earlier in the year on Thanksgiving morning, my mom and I volunteered at the Salvation Army to help set up a Thanksgiving meal. As we were approaching the Salvation Army center, there were homeless people camped out under the portico waiting for the doors to open. It was a cold morning and they did what they could to stay warm. Although we celebrated a small Thanksgiving meal later that day at my mom’s apartment, I left the Salvation Army that morning with a grateful heart and with a greater awareness of the physical and spiritual needs of those who are less fortunate.
This had an even bigger impact on my mom because she decided to volunteer as a Salvation Army bell ringer. One Saturday morning, she was ringing the bell at the J.C. Penney entrance at the South Plains mall. A few weeks ago, Lubbock got its first Cheesecake Factory and it happens to be located in the same parking lot where J.C. Penney and Barnes and Noble are. When Lubbock gets a new restaurant, I tend to avoid going there for a while because they generally stay packed for several months. But that Saturday afternoon, I went by the mall to give my mom a few things. As you could probably imagine, parking and the flow of people trying to get to the mall and the Cheesecake Factory was HORRENDOUS. I circled around the parking lot looking for a place to park but could not find one. It was around 2pm and I hadn’t eaten lunch yet because I was doing laundry all morning. Admittedly, I tend to get hangry when I haven’t eaten in a while so I was starting to get impatient with the parking situation. So I decided I would try to swing by the entrance and hope my mom would see me so I could quickly hand her the items I was there to give her and drive off. It took me a while to get to the front entrance but when I got to the front, my mom was gone and had taken her lunch break. At this point, I gave up and left the mall to get lunch. After my stomach was appeased, my mood became much better! I went back to the mall again to try another attempt to deliver the items to my mom and traffic was much worse due to people doing their last minute Christmas shopping.
Every year, millions of Americans scramble to buy the perfect Christmas gift for their love ones only to find empty shelves and crowded retail stores. The average American will spend approximately $885 dollars on Christmas gifts and is expected to reach $720 billion nationwide (Investopedia). I remember when Furbies, Giga Pets, and Tickle Me Elmo’s were all the rage. I can’t help but to think of that Christmas movie, Jingle All the Way, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the movie, the dad goes on a perilous last minute shopping adventure, fighting off an angry mob of parents, who are all trying to find a Turbo-Man action figure to give to their kids for Christmas. Today, the hot items are smartphones, smartwatches, and televisions.
Now I have no issue with gift exchanges. Exchanging gifts is a fun way to spend Christmas morning but being in the midst of the shopping chaos reminded me that we tend to get caught up in the commercialization of Christmas and sometimes forget its true meaning. I’m sure everyone knows that Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birth. But the way I see it, Christmas is the celebration of receiving the greatest gift of all; the opportunity to receive forgiveness and salvation through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus came down to earth in human form to walk among us and to serve us. The entire ministry of Jesus was one of servanthood.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 NIV
It’s mind boggling that the son of God would step down from heaven to serve mortals. Jesus very much deserved a crown of gold and precious jewels but He walked among the lowest of lows and served.
The greatest example I can think of is the foot washing ceremony found in John 13:1-17. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples including the one who would ultimately betray Him. Usually we don’t put much thought into how gross this was because we have socks, shoes, and nail clippers; however, in those days the disciples traveled everywhere by foot or by donkey. These same roads were taken by caravans that often traveled with other animals such as horses, camels, goats, and sheep.
When I think of this, I am reminded of the days when I was in the Clovis high school marching band. Every summer, we would meet for the rodeo parade where we would march down Main Street following a train of various floats, trailers, and people on horseback. Playing March Grandioso on my trumpet while trying my absolute best to avoid stepping in horse manure was a real challenge. Often we would get out of formation just to avoid the massive piles of repugnant smelling horse dung. Despite my best efforts, I always somehow stepped in some and the smell would carry with me on the bus ride back to the band hall.
Back in the biblical times, there were no streets or cars; just dirt roads most likely covered with animal manure much like how Main Street was during the rodeo parade. This meant the feet of people were usually caked with mud and feces. The odor was very unpleasant but Jesus knelt down and washed the feet of His disciples. It would have been a great honor to wash the feet of a king, but our king washed the feet of ordinary men. Jesus came to serve and to lay down his life.
The greatest gift wasn’t placed under a tree; it was nailed on a tree. That gift is Jesus! The greatest gift we as Christians can give to others are not the latest gadgets or the hottest toys. The greatest gift we can give to others is ourselves. We do this by serving and providing everyone the equal opportunity to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ regardless of social status, race, appearance, or their sin. Jesus is truly the reason for the season. Let us always remember that. Merry Christmas, my friends and God bless!
Joshua Hawk 