Growing up, Christmas morning felt like the Super Bowl of childhood excitement, and I remember counting down the days with the intensity of someone waiting for a whole new life to begin. My mother & grandmother loved this time of year. There were always lights (although nothing compared to the ‘everything bigger’ displays here in Texas, but festive enough to fill our lower 9th ward New Orleans apartment with joy), the artificial tree with all the bells and whistles, it had all the beautifully wrapped gifts underneath, the mistletoe hung, and decorations filled the entire house. The Stevie Wonder Christmas album played on repeat in the background every day, and it all created this sense of magical moments that seemed to fill the apartment from the day after Thanksgiving until the day after Christmas. We acted like the guest of honor, though none of us were celebrating a birthday. While I loved presents on my birthday, Christmas somehow taught us to celebrate what we would be receiving from another person. I never voiced it, but I secretly believed the success of the day hinged on a pair of skates and a radio I put on my list- I based my joy on the gift, not the giver. It took years for me to realize that my cravings on Christmas morning revealed more about my heart than about Jesus.
“Man who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?
~Luke 12:13-21
The kingdom is not about redistributing stuff; it’s restoring the spirit.
Obsessed with a fraction of an estate in Luke 12, the man failed to realize he was standing in the presence of the Heir of all things! Instead of celebrating the incarnation, he turns it into a competition of accumulation, and that’s just wrong. In this text, we see both greed and covetousness at play. Watching the news reports this week of burglaries in downtown Dallas, down a strip of small shops, I saw a raw modern portrait of covetousness, the desperate reach for what belongs to another. We see it in children on Christmas morning, and in adults too, getting their own gifts but eyeing their siblings’ gifts. If she gets a necklace from her spouse, she’s eyeing that neighbor who got the luxury car from her spouse. If we’ve been raised with Christ, our minds should be set on the things that are above… not of the earth.
Here Jesus confronts greed rather than confirming it. Jesus exposes the internal desire before addressing the external dispute because the root always determines the fruit. He wanted Jesus to fix his brother, but Jesus wanted to fix him! The danger of the barn (Luke 12:16-21) starts in the heart. If we always want life to be easier, we may be secretly asking our heavenly Father to serve our temporary greed rather than eternal growth. Christ became poor to make us spiritually rich, a reality that should silence every petty craving for more. The manger is God’s sermon against greed, showing that the King of Glory chose a barn rather than a palace to expose obsession with earthly value.
Today, Christmas often becomes a scorecard for the year. We’ve learned to measure blessing by the height of the gift pile, feeling short-changed when the stacks are low. We measure worth by temporary possessions that won’t last. The manger challenges the mall, asking what we truly treasure. There was an argument on whether Santa should remain the centerpiece of Christmas. Critics argue that only “hateful Christians” would say it’s not a good idea to “celebrate Santa” on Christ’s birthday because Saint Nick was a “Good man” after all. To this, I simply ask: if you were to arrive at your own birthday party and all your friends and loved ones showed up, but not to celebrate you, but Old Saint Nick… would that honor you? Christmas was never intended to represent anything but celebrating that a Savior came into the world to bring peace to the whole earth.
This year, let’s genuinely ask ourselves, ‘What gift am I giving Jesus for His birthday celebration?’ It reminds me that while I loved receiving gifts as a child, the season was never meant to be shaped around my desires, but His glory. Jesus doesn’t want what’s inside the box; He wants the heart of the one holding it. Generosity, repentance, worship, obedience, praise, sharing His goodness with others, forgiveness, and trust are all gifts we could offer Him this holiday season. These are gifts that honor Him far more than anything under the tree. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can transform our desires so that we should no longer covet what we don’t have and start celebrating the One who came to save us. The manger becomes a symbol of surrender, calling us to offer who we are, rather than what we own.
Time of Reflection:
** Lord, reveal where greed is choking out gratitude in my heart.
** Teach me to treasure You above ALL gifts, gatherings, & Expectations.
Heart-Probe Moment:
What gifts are Jesus asking me to offer Him this Christmas?
References:
Luke 12:13-21
Matt 6:21
James 4:3
2 Cor 8:9
The Chronological Study Bible Places this question from Luke 12:14 as Q#54
Closing prayer:
Heavenly Father, let me give You the treasure of my heart this Christmas. It’s Your Son Jesus, my Lord and Savior’s birthday, and I want to honor Him with more than words, but with my heart, not only today, but always. Purify my heart from every greed, comparison, and misplaced desire. Teach me to value You above everything else, and help me give You the gift of a surrendered & grateful heart.
