Gift or Giver: Which Do You Desire?

by Pastor Al

This morning I had the privilege of Christmas shopping with my 4-year-old daughter as her preschool hosted a Santa’s Workshop. (Please note: I don’t believe in Santa, nor do my kids. In fact, the daughter is ready to steer you straight if you ask her about "the jolly fat man in red," as my boys say. But back to the shopping...) Think room filled with garage sale items that didn’t sell so people donated them to the Workshop.

My daughter started picking out things she wanted to give her brothers, grandpas and grandmas, and mom and dad. Let’s just say there will be some surprises. On Christmas she will be so excited that she was able to pick out some gifts and pay for them with "her" money, and there will be a sweet exchange between my daughter and the recipient of her gift. The expectations of the gift actually satisfying said recipient are quite low, but the bigger thing is that a 4-year-old thought you would love this and bought it for you.

Here the focus is on the giver. And, unfortunately, we often miss something very big when we focus on a gift more than the giver of that gift.

Jesus told a story in Luke 15 about a man who had two sons. One wanted his inheritance before the father’s death, basically wishing him dead. The other son, who didn’t run off, is upset at the father for welcoming home that prodigal when the father never seemed to show special favor to him. What a mess. Both sons want the fathers things but demonstrate that neither really wants the father, though the younger son does eventually recognize his need for the father himself rather than just his stuff.

Along that line, I often cringe when I hear a public singing of "God Bless America." It’s almost as though we’re saying God needs to do us a favor or a solid and make our lives better. But what if God’s version of "bless" looks like man’s version of "curse?"

Hear me out. The typical American views "blessing" as synonymous with material goods, money and happiness. But what if God blesses you with cancer? Or relationship problems? Or rebellious kids? What if he uses such things to bless you with stronger relationships with others and greater trust in Him

We are off focus when we think that God blesses us only with material things, or that he wants us to be "happy" in this life as the end-all.

This understanding falls apart especially in nations where faithful men and women struggle to live each day. Many believers live under the shadow of oppressive governments and persecution of radical religions. Yet the common thread with these people is a love of God that grows while their worship greatly increases.

So, is it the gift that we desire, or the Giver?

"And he said to him (the elder brother), ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.’" -Luke 15:31 (ESV)


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