The Gifts of the First Christmas
- Karen Kuykendall
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 14 hours ago
We're coming to the end of Christmas once again. The rush to buy gifts, attend parties, go to special events, and cook festive meals is almost over, leaving many of us with feelings of both satisfaction and exhaustion. Before the season is finished, I'd like to take a break from all the activities and spend a few minutes considering the giving side of Christmas. No, I'm not talking about the presents you'll exchange during the next few days. Instead, I'd like to remember the many people who gave to make the first Christmas possible, including some that we don't normally think about.
To begin with, there's Mary. Part of the Advent series this year on the Center for Action and Contemplation website focused on different aspects of her willingness to become Jesus' mother. Assenting to this request was no small matter. As Dr. Sue Edwards notes in one of her posts:
Mary had every reason to feel that her whole world was imploding. Imagine you are Mary. Marriage was a high value in this shame/honor culture. Her worth, identity, and future were bound up in the match her parents made for her. Girls were betrothed young; we think she may have been 13 or 14. The engagement period lasted a year, to prove the young woman was chaste, requiring a divorce decree to end the pact.
Mary demonstrated astonishing willingness to give herself in service of this miraculous act, as well as in giving up both her reputation and her assurance of marriage, which constituted her future welfare and social status. For all of these reasons, Mary deserves a special place of honor.
Next, let's take a look at Mary's cousin Elizabeth. Also the bearer of a miraculous pregnancy, Elizabeth blessed Mary and acknowledged Jesus' identity. She then graciously gave Mary a place in her home for several months. One must also imagine that Elizabeth mentored and encouraged Mary during this time. What comforting and vital gifts those words must have been during her critical first months of pregnancy!
Joseph also garners both our respect and gratitude. For a man of those times to suspect his betrothed of adultery yet want to "divorce her quietly" demonstrated remarkable selflessness and character. I've always wondered why he initially chose to do so and finally found an answer in Adam Hamilton's book, The Journey:
Joseph knew that after he ended the engagement, everyone would soon discover that Mary was pregnant. They would naturally assume that Joseph was the father and that he had slept with her while she was in Ein Karem [the traditional home of Elizabeth and Zechariah], then broken off the engagement. The shame would be his, not Mary’s. Mary’s life would be spared, and she would have the pity of her family. Mary’s family would keep the dowry that had already been paid, and Joseph would provide the agreed-upon additional dowry that would have been provided at his wedding. He would also provide for the child and, if Mary’s father insisted, he could be required to take her as his wife.
In making that choice, Joseph would have given up his reputation, good standing, and a considerable sum of money to spare Mary any of the penalties she would have incurred if he had accused her of unfaithfulness. After his encounter with Gabriel, he made more selfless choices by giving Mary a home and protection, and giving Jesus a place with him as his son.
What about the people who housed Mary and Joseph when they came to Bethlehem? The common misunderstanding of what happened that night has, in recent years, been widely corrected. Instead of being refused a place at the local inn and having to find a lonely cave on the outskirts of town, Mary and Joseph most likely planned to stay with relatives. When they arrived, they found that the guestroom (incorrectly translated as "inn") was full. Not wanting to leave the couple without shelter, the relatives offered what they had left: room in the part of the house where the animals were stabled.
Being in the middle of the holidays, I can imagine that you may have overnight guests, maybe for more than a few days. I can also imagine that you might be glad when you have your space to yourself again. Imagine, then, the situation in Bethlehem. An official government census has been ordered. Your small town is suddenly overwhelmed by the people who claim it as their ancestral home. You now have a number of relatives showing up at your door, asking for familial hospitality.
Since a census could last for several months, your home might be constantly accommodating people until it was over. While Middle Eastern hospitality is famous, I think that this situation might have taxed even the most welcoming of hosts. And yet, though the house was full, these relatives gave what they had to a couple in need.
This understanding of the story also means that Mary had the crucial help she needed during her first labor from the other women staying there. Instead pitying the couple for their distressed and lonely circumstances, we can now acknowledge the unknown relatives who gave them shelter and assisted with the birth.
Finally, we'll take a look at the Magi, or Wisemen. We all know about the kingly gifts they brought: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The financial sacrifice for these items has been estimated at anywhere from several hundred thousand to several millions dollars in today's money.
These men gave more than expensive gifts, though. The journey, very possibly from Babylon, would have required not only considerable money but also months to reach Israel. The route would have been perilous for several reasons. The terrain included harsh desert areas with unpredictable weather. Travelers would also have been vulnerable prey to the many thieves and bandits that could attack at any time. The trip, then, would have come at great financial expense, high stress, and a toll on the men's physical well being.
In addition to all these challenges, the Magi encountered the added danger of King Herod's malevolent pursuit of his perceived rival. Scripture states that after being warned about the king in a dream, they went home by a different route. This part of the journey probably included the additional worry that Herod might come after them. These men, great in their own country, put aside their comfort and safety to acknowledge Jesus' identity with both their worship and their regal gifts.
These were some of the people who gave during the first Christmas. It is beyond my ability to even begin to describe the gift the Trinity gave us with the appearance of the Son on earth. To break the ongoing, eternal relationship of the Godhead in order to save humankind and show us how we were intended to live was a sacrifice beyond our comprehension.
For all of these reasons, let's rethink Christmas. In this consumer-driven society that has overwhelmed the holy season with month-long Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays, we tend to put our minds on autopilot and follow the crowd to the next big sale. What if we went against the flow and totally rethought the idea of giving? What would that look like? Here are some ideas for non-packaged gifts during the holidays:
Host a homemade potluck for your neighbors.
Donate to a charity on a loved one's behalf.
Volunteer to serve a meal at a homeless shelter.
Send a card of encouragement to people you know are struggling.
Adopt a family in need for the holidays.
Send needed and thoughtful items to a soldier.
Foster an animal from an overcrowded shelter.
Visit a local nursing home and spend time with those who don't have family.
Deliver treats to people who have to spend the holiday working.
Form a caroling group and visit the homes of seniors/invalids in your neighborhood or church.
Total up the amount your family usually spends on Christmas, forego presents to each other, and give the money to a great cause. Celebrate afterwards!
There are many variations on these suggestions and many more that I haven't listed. All of them, though, share the quality of taking the focus off of material things and putting it on the act of giving: giving of time, energy, and finances that meet a real need and don't just simply check a box.
While fans and advocates of capitalism done well, we also know it has its proper place; and during December, it should enhance the holidays instead of being at their center. There is nothing wrong with giving presents during Christmas, but material gifts should never take away from the meaning of the story, nor should we spend all of our energy pursuing them during the season.
Instead, we encourage you to take some time to reflect on the people mentioned above and to choose a non-packaged gift to give before the month is over. In doing so, you will bring joy to both yourself and to the ones who receive it: a true Christmas blessing!
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