GIFTS
December 09, 2020
Prayer: Heavenly Father, grant us opportunities with our students to share about Jesus, the Reason for the Season, and what we can give to You. Amen.
Scripture: Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. Matt. 2:11
Ramona loved gifts! Every year after Thanksgiving, she would bring out the “gift pin” which she wore on her lapel. It started with one “present” and grew to several attached together by the time the last day came before Christmas vacation. She hoped that this subliminal message to her second graders would result in many packages coming her way by the end of the month! We laughed at Ramona’s ploy, but each of us enjoyed the little gifts kids would bring to us, more than we liked to admit.
Even though the Christmas gifts gave me pleasure too, I think that the little surprises that came my way throughout the year pleased me even more. “Mrs. Wilson, I made this for you!” exclaimed Gina as she entered my classroom and handed me a handmade picture. “Mrs. Wilson, you’re my favorite music teacher” was another favorite. At other times, the hugs given out of the blue helped me through a rough day.
What kind of gifts can we give to the Lord that He would appreciate during this month and this new year to come? St. Paul mentions that the Macedonian churches, which lived in extreme poverty were rich in generosity. He commended them because, “they gave themselves first to the Lord.” (2 Cor. 8:5). Whether we have great riches to bring to our Lord or not, we can give the most important thing He desires, and that which He requires.
What can I give Him, poor as I am,
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb.
If I were a wise man, I would do my part;
Yet, what I can I give Him: Give Him my heart.*
*from In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rossetti
Copyright Shirley Wilson. Email [email protected]
Love Christina Rosetti! Thank you for the encouragement.