Try a Christian Gift Exchange

I am not sure how it started, but somewhere over the years someone came up with an idea for a "Christmas" gift exchange that is so much unlike Christ. It involves folks pooling their gifts they would like to give. By random, someone goes first and selects a gift. Then a second person by random does the same, but then there is a twist. The second person has the option of stealing the first person's gift, and giving their unwanted gift to the person they stole from.

This process continues with others randomly selecting a gift and then having the option of stealing a previous gift. Finally, the first person gets an opportunity to steal.

You can tell me this is all in fun, but I will tell you great damage is done, especially if children are present. What are you really teaching the children?

Would you believe a group of Assembly of God ministers did this years back? I foolishly participated, and now I am very sorry I did. I have seen other Christian or "Christian" folk do this, and cringe, especially when children participated or simply watched.

But thank God for Christians that show forth the true meaning of Christmas and want to be different!

Some years back, my wife's side of the family got together for their annual family gathering around Christmas time. Our immediate family was in charge for that year and Dorcas, my wife, asked our daughter-in-law, Lydia, to do the gift exchange. Again, I am not sure where the idea came from, whether Lydia thought of it or had heard of it elsewhere, but it was the best gift exchange ever, and we are proud of her.

As I recall, someone was chosen by random to pick out a gift. The person went to the table, selected a gift and was asked to open it, look at it, and think of someone present they would want to give that gift to. They then walked over to that person and gave them that gift.

Then either that person, or another person by random, went to the table and did the same. This was wonderful, because it was something Jesus would do.

But, there is a little more to this story. Lydia was sick that morning and others thought she might not be able to do the exchange. Some relatives started to think they had to go back to the old way. I could not believe they thought it was so very hard to follow through with the very simple, but godly plan, that Lydia proposed. It saddened me greatly that some were ready to resort to the stealing mode.

But I, and I am sure others, prayed. Lydia received the strength from the Lord she needed, and the wonderful exchange took place.

More people should follow Lydia's example of a godly gift exchange. This time, the children learned not to steal, but to give. I thank God for the strength He gave Lydia, and I thank Lydia for rising above her illness that morning, being different, and forging ahead with her Christian plan.

So, I challenge Christians to have a real Christian Christmas, to do things Jesus Himself would do, not just in the exchange of gifts, but in every aspect of Christmas. Acts 20:35 records, "the Lord Jesus, ... said, It is more blessed to give than to receive."