A Child is Given

"For unto us a child is given..." is at the heart of what I understand Christmas and the Christian faith to be about. It is about a blessing that is given that we could not demand or make on our own. It is a gift. A gift that we may not be prepared or adequately trained to receive, or we may not even really want when we get it.

The "child" is given by someone or something else. It is not something that we could demand or require or earn. My son and daughter-in-law have given us a grandchild and another one on its way. But we knew early you did not talk to them about "When are you going to have children?" It was their decision and it is a gift to us. Even people seeking adoptions have to have someone who is prepared to "give" them a child.

The "child" is given to us is a reminder that life is a gift to us. Even those who are angry at life and claim they never asked to be born, acknowledge that life is a gift. That what we have is a remarkable gift of amazing variety of blessings and joys. That the best things in life really are gifts to us that are free. As the poet says, "Getting and spending we lay waste the powers that are ours." Christmas focuses on the gift that is given to us, and the gift is all creation, given to all of us, given to us free to enjoy and to share and to give to others.

The "child" is given to us as a free gift. It is to be shared. It is to be celebrated. It is to be valued. It is a gift given to all creation. It is a gift given to all people. It is a gift, and we have to confess that we all have real trouble with receiving and accepting gifts. Somehow so often we think gifts come with strings or obligations or duties. "You have to give a gift to get a gift. You got to give a gift if you got a gift." What kind of gift is that.

Unto us a child is given... and the world is still not really comfortable is just accepting a gift and sharing it with others.