There are very few of us, I would guess, that have never given a gift; there are very few of us who have never received a gift.
Gifts are extensions of ourselves, they are expressions of our relationships. Some are deeply personal, some are more generic; they may be homemade or purchased; they may be for a specific occasion or a ‘just because.’ A gift will fit anywhere on a spectrum of size, expense, time commitment, &c.
Whatever they are—they are an intentional expression of love.
A bouquet of flowers, a knitted afghan, a gift card, a donation on your behalf—every gift is just that—a gift of love.
And we have the model of this joy of giving and receiving because of the examples given to us by the source of all love. We are given such profound gifts, each and every one of us, on a daily basis.
We are given the physical gifts of the earth which sustains us every moment of every day.
We are given the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit, continually flowing amongst us.
We are given the ultimate gift of salvation and the promise of eternal life that comes by the ultimate sacrifice of the Risen Christ.
We are given the gift of community, in our neighbours near and far.
We are given the gift of love, not the casual affection use of the word, but the deep and profound attachment and relationship it reflects.
May we recognise that the gifts of our lives are all gifts of love – that the gifts we receive are intentionally given to us by someone who loves us; and that the gifts we give are not tokens or symbols, but an unconditional sharing of our own love.
May we celebrate that the opportunity to share gifts is itself a gift from True Love itself.
May we live into the reality that we love because God first loved us (1 Jn 4.19).
