Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/909943
DECEMBER 11 6 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" —Romans 8:31–32 Giving and Receiving D uring my childhood, Christmas brought me so much excitement and joy: a few weeks of vacation from school, presents, Christmas tree decorations, holiday treats, presents, a visit to Santa at the mall, and did I mention presents? My siblings and I would wake up around 3:00 a.m. on Christmas morning and send my youngest brother to wake up my parents. (We knew he wouldn't get in trouble.) My parents would send him back to bed, we would wait a half hour, and then we would do it again. This would go on until my parents were so annoyed that they couldn't go back to sleep. Then we commenced our much-anticipated march down the hallway to our waiting presents. Many people have fond memories of the happy frenzy surrounding the Christmas season. As adults, we describe other major life events by saying, "It feels like Christmas morning." I will never forget Christmas Day of 2009. My oldest son, and only child at the time, was two years old. This was the first Christmas for which he was old enough to understand what was happening and to show genuine excitement. He had recently discovered the joy of toy trains, and that Christmas, my wife and I bought him several train sets that interlinked. On Christmas Eve, we put him to bed, and I spent the next several hours putting the train sets together. The track went around the Christmas tree, over the fireplace hearth, and through the mass of wrapped presents on the floor. That night I couldn't sleep. I was filled with the anticipation of watching my son come down the stairs, of seeing the look on his face in the morning. That was the Christmas I truly discovered the joy of giving. To my surprise, it was far greater than the joy I had experienced on Christmas mornings as a child, focused only on receiving. Romans 8 reminds us of God's love for us. He gave His Son for us. The joy we experience when receiving Christ can only be surpassed by God's joy in giving Him. At Christmas we often focus on the fact of Christ's arrival. Let us also remember that He was sent to us by the Father, the greatest gift-giver of all. Adam Young Current Student, Master of Theology with a Concentration in New Testament