Christmas-the Gift, and Why We Give

It’s Christmas.

Most of us feel it in familiar ways. The lights, the music, the gatherings, the gifts. We give more at this time of year than at any other. We give to family, friends, neighbors, even strangers. And almost no one needs to be convinced to do it.

That should tell us something.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, and yet gift-giving has become central to how we observe it. Some see that as a corruption of the holiday. But perhaps it’s the opposite. Perhaps it’s a reflection of something true.

Because Christmas really is about a gift.

We give gifts because we were created by a God who gives. Not reluctantly. Not conditionally. Freely. Generously. The Bible tells us that God gave humanity His Son, not as a reward for righteousness, but as a response to our need. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16).

As His creation, we reflect Him more than we realize. We love. We show compassion. We feel drawn to generosity, especially when we are most aware of others. Giving is not something we were taught into existence. It is something written into us.

But that is not the whole truth about human nature.

If love and generosity were all that defined us, Christmas would have ended at the manger. There would have been no cross. No sacrifice. No need for redemption.

Yet we all know that something is broken.

We carry pride alongside humility. Selfishness alongside compassion. Scripture calls this condition sin, not merely as individual actions, but as a state of separation from a perfect God. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And the consequence is not merely moral failure, but spiritual death. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

This is why the gift mattered.

Before going further, it’s fair to ask whether this story rests on faith alone or on history as well.

Jesus of Nazareth is not a legendary figure confined to religious texts. He is referenced by Roman and Jewish historians who had no interest in advancing Christianity. Tacitus records His execution under Pontius Pilate. Josephus acknowledges His life and crucifixion. Pliny the Younger describes early Christians worshipping Christ “as a god.” These are not theological arguments. They are historical acknowledgments.

The more difficult claim is the resurrection.

The earliest Christian writings record that Jesus was seen alive after His crucifixion by many witnesses, including groups numbering in the hundreds (1 Corinthians 15:3–8). These witnesses gained nothing by maintaining their testimony. They faced persecution, imprisonment, and death. They did not recant. They did not revise their story. They endured suffering because they believed what they had seen.

People may die for something they believe is true. They do not willingly die for something they know to be false.

If Jesus rose from the dead, then death was conquered. If death was conquered, then the promises of God were fulfilled. The prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures found their completion in Him. And the gift given at Christmas was not symbolic. It was necessary.

God fulfilled His promise to provide a path back to Himself. Not through human effort, but through grace. “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

This is why we give.

Not because our gifts are perfect. They never are.
Not because generosity earns salvation. It cannot.

We give because we were given to first.

Grace where we deserved judgment.
Mercy where we fell short.
Life where death once stood.

And here is the heart of it.

If we truly love the people around us, the greatest gift we can offer them is not something purchased, wrapped, or exchanged. It is the truth of the Gospel. The message that we are known, forgiven, and invited home.

No political system can provide that.
No cultural movement can manufacture it.

What the world needs is not better messaging, but honest testimony. Not louder voices, but faithful ones. We drift when we stop speaking truth, stop praying, and stop living as though what we believe actually matters.

Christmas is the reminder.

Jesus Christ is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. History confirms His life. Scripture reveals His purpose. And our own hearts testify to our need. The birth of the Messiah was the moment God stepped into human history to do for us what we could not do for ourselves.

This Christmas, remember the gift.

And if you have hesitated to share it before, let today be a beginning. Give what was given to you. Hope. Truth. Life.

Merry Christmas.
May the gift of Jesus Christ fill you with hope, anchor you in peace, and remind you that you are deeply loved.

-Christopher Scott