DECEMBER 2024.
Christmas is a time of giving and receiving gifts. Adults may well be more inclined to give rather than to receive, but most children have no trouble admitting that they love receiving gifts. The art of joyful giving is commendable indeed, but so is the art of humbly receiving. The first few verses of Matthew 18 describe the disciples squabbling over which of them was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I imagine each contender pointing out the ways that they had already contributed to the kingdom and boasting about how much more they were capable of giving. As they approached Jesus to settle the matter, He put a child in their midst and said ”unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Unlike the squabbling disciples, children know how to receive without having anything of material significance to offer in return. There is a humility to this kind of receiving. Jesus went on to say, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Like children who have nothing of material significance to offer in return, are we humble enough to joyfully receive the greatest gift of all this Christmas?
