Three Kinds of People
(Isa.52:7-10; Heb.1:1-6; Jn.1:1-18)
Every year at Christmas we are surrounded by gifts – so many wonderful parcels trimmed with colourful ribbons and cards.
But not everyone welcomes gifts in the same way. Why? Probably because there are three kinds of people.
The first kind are those who consider gifts an annoying chore. They only give because they have to, but there’s little joy because their hearts are closed.
There were people like that when Jesus was born. Although baby Jesus was a tremendous gift to the world, Herod saw him as a threat, and the innkeeper had no room for him (Jn.1:11). Their hearts were shut tight.
I once heard of a father like that. He thought that Christmas gifts were a waste of money because children have too much already.
Then one year his little daughter gave him a tiny, badly-wrapped package with a card inside. On it she had drawn two stick-figures: a father and a daughter holding hands under a big star. Below it she wrote: ‘This is my favourite gift – you.’
That moment melted his heart, and he began to realise that gifts aren’t about things; they’re about love.
It’s so easy to forget that. We, too, can be like that father or the innkeeper, missing the deeper meaning because our hearts are too full, too proud, or too distracted.
The second kind of person are those who really love Christmas gifts. They love the wrapping, the sparkle, the surprise. Presents delight them, but the feeling doesn’t last. As soon as the wrapping paper is gone, so is the joy.
Many people are like this. They love the feeling of Christmas, the meals, the lights and the laughter. But the experience doesn’t go any deeper than that, for their minds soon move on to the next thing.
If only they knew that even the simplest joy can open the door to something much more significant. If only they realised that deep gratitude can lead us to the source of all joy (Mt.6:21)
And then there’s the third kind of person. Such people know that every gift points beyond itself to something profound. They recognise that genuine giving always reveals something of God’s love.
For them, a gift is not just an exchange of some thing, but a sign of relationship, of presence and grace.
A little boy once gave his teacher a small Christmas gift. It was a small, almost empty perfume bottle, and it was chipped.
Shyly, he explained to her: ‘It’s my mum’s perfume… it’s all I have left of her since she died.’ The teacher dabbed a little on her wrist and smiled. She said, ‘It’s the nicest gift I’ve ever received.’
Later that day, the boy said, ‘You smell just like my mum now… thank you.’
That gift was more than a physical thing – it was a presence, a memory, and a love made real again. And isn’t that what God does at Christmas? He gives us not some thing, but Someone.
The invisible God takes flesh – Emmanuel, ‘God with us’ (Jn.1:14).
In Jesus, the Giver becomes the Gift. The One who owns everything becomes poor for our sake. He enters our world naked, vulnerable and with empty hands – to show that love itself is enough.
So, this Christmas, which kind of person are you?
- Are you someone with a closed heart who thinks gifts are just a chore?
- Are you like those who love the sparkle and surprise, but miss the depth of the giving experience?
- Or are you ready to see, in every act of love, the reflection of an even greater gift, the love of God himself?
At the heart of every Christmas is the simplest of all truths: that we are the ones being given a gift – and we are also the gift that God longs to receive.
A child once asked, ‘What did Jesus get for his birthday?’ And his mother said, ‘He’s hoping for you.’
So, let’s give Jesus what he wants most – not gold or incense or myrrh – but our loving hearts.