Have you wrapped your gifts? Did you select your favourite paper from last Christmas, or that new roll you purchased with the bright colours and seasonal decorations? Maybe to save time and frustration you used a carefully chosen gift bag with just the right design and matching tissue paper. It’s almost ready to place under the tree, but something is missing. How will they know who this is for and who it is from? This is an important detail, of course, since the point is not for people to admire the wrapping or to solve a yuletide mystery. This gift needs to be received, opened, and enjoyed.
Enter the humble gift tag. It can be big or small, colourful or plain. Whatever its shape or size, the gift tag tells us two important things: who the gift is for and who the gift is from. Without that, the gift will go unopened.
Have you been distracted with the wrapping of the Christmas season and forgotten to look closer? We have music, movies, special events, and family dinners. We put up trees, string lights, and hang decorations. There is so much to see, hear, taste, and do during the Christmas season that our attention is captured and our senses are overloaded, but have we merely been looking at the wrapping and missing the real gift? If only we could slow down and read a gift tag to give us some direction….
Look closer and you’ll see that the greatest gift does come with a tag. In fact, it has two! The first looks like a scroll or a book. It’s the message of the prophet Isaiah who said “for to us a child is born, to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). He made it clear…the gift is for us. The second tag has the familiar shape of an angel. In Luke 2:10, 11 we hear the angel tell the shepherds that he came with “good news of great joy that will be for all the people … a Saviour has been born to you…” That includes us!
The Bible tells us that this gift we celebrate is from God. John 3:16 tells us that God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son. The angel who spoke to the shepherds when Jesus was born, was joined by others to conclude the message with the words “glory to God in the Highest…” (Luke 2:14) as God was praised for this most precious of gifts.
Why did God go to such lengths to be sure we wouldn’t miss the gift tags? He did it so we wouldn’t miss the gift! The gift is the Saviour, Jesus. He came delivering another gift from the Father. Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Our rebellion against God has earned us judgement. God’s gift instead is mercy, grace, forgiveness and life through the sacrifice of His Son.
God offers us the gift and now we need to respond. “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Adopted as God’s child, welcomed as a full member of the family – what a gift! God’s gift must now be opened and embraced with belief and faith, humble surrender, and joyful gratitude. If you have questions about this greatest gift from God or what it means to truly receive it, we would be happy to speak with you. Connect with us at harrowbaptistchurch.com or (519) 738-2275.
Here is an idea for you. Will you take on the “gift tag challenge”? When you wrap your presents, make your own gift tags in the shape of a book or an angel to remind yourself and your loved ones of the gift tags on God’s great gift. When you are given a gift, read the tag and thank the giver. Then, offer a simple prayer of thanks to God for His gifts of and through his Son. Embrace His gift and always remember that the tag says “For You”.