Why do we give gifts at Christmas?
"A child will be born to us. A son will be given to us. He will rule over us. And he will be called Wonderful Adviser and Mighty God. He will also be called Father Who Lives Forever and Prince Who Brings Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).
"You do well in everything else. You do well in faith and in speaking. You do well in knowledge and in complete commitment. And you do well in the love we have helped to start in you. So make sure that you also do well in the grace of giving to others" (2 Corinthians 8:7-8).
The Bible doesn't tell us we have to give gifts to celebrate Jesus' birth, but many cultures do.We may give gifts at Christmas to follow the example of the wise men who brought gifts to Jesus at His home. Matthew 2:10-11 says, "When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. The Wise Men went to the house. There they saw the child with his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures. They gave him gold, frankincense and myrrh."
God gave us the best gift—Jesus! At Christmas, we remember God’s greatest gift of His Son. Jesus came to earth to die for us and give us the gift of salvation.
Can exchanging gifts take away from the true meaning of Christmas? It can, but it doesn’t have to. We can focus on the true meaning of Christmas, while still remembering the greatest gift. James 1:17 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from God..."
