Why do we give gifts at Christmas? God has given us the greatest gift and now we get to serve him through giving to others. Today we are talking about the theology of giving gifts and how God’s grace changes the whole Christmas giving paradigm.
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Star From Afar
Star From Afar is a fun Christmas game that points us back to the true meaning of Christmas. Not only do you get a wooden nativity set, but a book and game to play with your kids this Christmas. Move the star and have the kids find it. When they do, move the wise men to the star as the travel to see the baby King. The book includes Scriptures for each day.
From Tuesday, November 28th - Saturday, December 3rd, you can get 10% off your Star From Afar game with code SPF10. Go to starfromafar.com to order.
See our video of Star From Afar:
Canon Press Books
I recommend a lot of books and resources on the SPF podcast, and many of them can be found on Canon Press. Our library is full of these books that honor God and teach rich theology on all subjects. They even have some great kid and youth books.
Want to see some of my favorite books? Check out my special Canon Press page here.
From November 28th - December 8th you can get 25% off your purchase using the code SHEPROVESFAITHFUL - Thank you Canon Press!
The Theology of Gifts
Check out Doug Wilson's sermon: A Theology of Gifts
What does the Bible have to say about gift giving? Why do we give gifts at Christmas? How much should we spend? How do I cultivate a biblical attitude about giving gifts?
These are questions that bounce around in my head around the Christmas season. Thankfully my husband pointed me to a Doug Wilson sermon that really infused me with a lot of joy and excitement about the WHY behind giving gifts.
Why Gifts at Christmas?
1. We are celebrating Christ's birth!
2. We are remembering the gifts that the Wise Men gave to Jesus that represented His Kingship, His Divinity, and His death.
3. We give because God gives to us and it serves Christ.
How Does Giving Gifts Serve Christ?
Giving gifts is part of fulfilling the law of Christ (Mark 12). We love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, AND we love our neighbor as ourselves. Giving gifts is part of our sacrifice and service to the King. It is a reflection of God's love and generosity to us.
Hebrews 6:10
Matthew 10:42
Matthew 25
"If we don't understand gifts, we don't understand grace, and if we don't understand grace, we don't understand anything." - Doug Wilson
Three Sins of Gift Giving
There are probably a lot more sins, but here are three that we can fall into when giving gifts:
1. Giving out of grumpiness - John 12:5 Judas was grumpy about giving (it that came from a greedy, idolatrous heart)
2. Giving to our neighbor instead of God - When we are not honoring God with our gift giving, but instead thinking of ourselves and our benefits.
3. Giving to God and not giving to our neighbor - This is what the Pharasees did by making a tradition to neglect God's commands. They thought giving to God only, was more holy, and neglected to love their neighbor by giving gifts to them.
How to Prove Faithful in Gift Giving
Proving faithful in gift giving really starts with a biblical attitude. Remember these two truths to encourage your heart in this season:
I give to God by giving to my neighbor because my neighbor is an image bearer of God, whom I'm called to love.
Give generously and give intelligently - giving is not about being foolish and going into debt. Be a wise steward of your time and resources, but don't fall into stinginess. Rejoice in what God has provided you to spend to love others.
Resources
Amazon Links are affiliate links - meaning I get a very small referral credit from Amazon for recommend products, at no cost to you - that goes to supporting the podcast.
For shopping deals I love checking out hip2save.com
For Christmas ideas and discounts visit sheprovesfaithful.com/christmas
Doug Wilson's sermon about Christmas: http://www.canonwired.com/featured/1648/