Offer gifts to Jesus as we celebrate his birthday

The year was 1959. I sat at our family dining room window enjoying the wintery view. I never grew tired of admiring Lake Chaplain, a little stream that crossed a field below, and the surrounding forests. Three distant Cascade mountain peaks added a breathless element to the view.

Christmas dinner had been all that it should be. I felt content. It was nice to be alone and quiet for a while.

Thumbing through my new copy of Treasure Island, I thought about the joys of the season. At 11 years old, I appreciated the giant steps my parents always took to make it a special time for my younger sisters and me.

That was the year I received something extra special.

I usually received one book as a Christmas gift, but that year, they gave me two! The second one was my very first new Bible. It was not just any Bible. The Gospels shined with red letters as their stories followed what Jesus said. It had a concordance for light research. But wait, there was more. It also had ... a zipper!

As I turned my eyes to the table, they fell on a plate of date-nut bread, a seasonal treat made in part from dates our great-aunt sent from California. I helped myself to a generous slice. We were usually limited to one serving of desserts. On Christmas, there were few restrictions.

A thought suddenly passed through my mind. Whose birthday was it, anyway? We ate marvelous delicacies and opened thoughtful presents, but it was not our birthday. It dawned on me that it was, in truth, the birthday of Jesus.

When it comes to gift giving, no one is as generous as God. The Father loved the world so much that he gave his only Son to save us. Jesus the Son gave his life to take away our sins. God the Holy Spirit constantly works in and through our lives, offering an array of spiritual gifts to grow us and make us useful. It appears that our God is a gift-giving specialist.

So, as I thought about Jesus and his own gift giving, I wondered about myself. Until that very moment, giving Jesus a gift for his birthday never crossed my mind.

What could an 11-year-old kid give to someone who really does have everything?

I remembered something that one of my pastors had said. Citing Scripture, he told us that our prayers — and especially our praises — were like pleasant incense to the Lord. The pastor insisted that God takes great pleasure in that kind of offering.

I looked out the window and thought about offering Jesus something that he would like.

Remembering what those godly elders in our church said when they prayed aloud, I raised my head and offered similar words, but they were my own, and from my heart. A sudden warm tingling feeling flowed on my head, down my neck, and across my shoulders and back. I believed that the heartfelt expression of praise to God gave him pleasure.

For most of 58 years, I have offered gifts to Jesus at or around Christmas Day. Other gifts to him include donating to bell ringers, special missions projects, and giving opportunities for needy people to have a nicer Christmas.

This Christmas should be no exception. I encourage you to find ways to offer gifts to Jesus as we celebrate his birthday. Prayer and praise are always in season, and opportunities to bless those less fortunate abound.

This story was originally published December 23, 2017 at 1:39 PM with the headline "Offer gifts to Jesus as we celebrate his birthday."