Mary Didn’t Need A Gift Receipt
Are you afraid of returned gifts? Are you afraid that someone will return the gift that you got them? When you are watching a friend or family member unwrap a gift from you, do you think in the back of your mind: “Did I get this right?,” “What if they don’t like it?,” or “What if I misunderstood what they were hoping for?.” Gift-giving can be an adventure into anxiety. Maybe there are times you experience the opposite perspective, fearing that you will have to return a gift given to you. Maybe as you are unwrapping a gift you wonder if you are going to be able to pull off a satisfied face when you are disappointed with what you received. Are you afraid that people will misread your tastes or not know your true wishlist?
Gift receipts have helped to relieve this holiday anxiety. They are like an insurance policy on misplaced generosity. With a gift receipt, you can take comfort in the fact that the gift you gave can be returned and that the gift you received can be returned. I always felt the pressure of giving a gift receipt to one of my friends who had a particular taste. He would divide his gifts into two piles while he was opening them. One pile would be the “keep” pile and the other would be the “return” pile. We all probably have a similar practice, but his process was unique because he would do it right in front of you. Watching this process made you wonder where your gift was going to land. As the piles grew, you would try to evaluate which pile was the “return” one and which was the “keep” pile. Gift receipts are mandatory when giving this friend a present.
Mary, the Vessel of Hope: Receiving the Gift of the Messiah
On the first Christmas, Mary received the gift of a son. She was told by an angel and a group of shepherds, who had been visited by a host of angels, that this son would be the Savior King her people, the Jews, had been waiting for. Mary didn’t fully comprehend what all of this meant, but she didn’t want to return this gift. This gift had been on the top of her people's wish list for thousands of years. This gift would meet the deepest need of humanity. God promised to the first humans he created that one day he would give this gift. She was the agent that God used to bring this gift to his beloved and broken creation. God’s gift was not at risk of going into Mary’s “return” pile.
Big Idea: Mary didn’t need a gift receipt.
This gift wasn’t going to go out of style. It wasn’t a duplicate or a dud. No other gift would surpass it or replace it. The greatest longing of Mary’s heart would be satisfied by this gift. Our greatest longing is satisfied by this gift. Let’s explore together how Mary treasured this gift and learn how we should do the same.
Luke 2:8-20, “8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”
The Shepherds reported to Mary that her Son was going to be a Savior and that he was Christ the Lord. These titles are loaded with meaning and significance. The term “Lord” could be used to speak of a person in a position of power like Caesar, but so far in Luke's gospel, this title has been reserved for God himself. This gives us a hint that this baby was more than a man. He was both God and man. This God-man was going to save the world. This message of hope and salvation was similar to what Mary had already heard from the angel Gabriel before she was pregnant.
Luke 1:32-33, “32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Mary was told that her Son would be the king of a forever kingdom. Why did Mary and her people need a Savior King? Mary and her people had been waiting for this gift since the beginning of human history. God promised the first human beings that this gift would one day come to their offspring. After Adam and Eve had fallen into sin and were receiving the consequences for their rebellion, God made them a promise. He promised that one day a hero would come that would vanquish their spiritual nemesis, Satan.
Genesis 3:15-16, “15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Their choice to rebel against God made them susceptible to the spiritual oppression of Satan. Adam and Eve corrupted their nature and made themselves vulnerable to Satanic attack. All of humanity was placed “under” the power of sin and Satan. God promised to liberate humanity from this spiritual darkness through the offspring of Eve. Thousands of years before Mary ever knew she was pregnant, God’s people knew a Savior would come.
This promise of a Savior continued to take shape as the Old Testament story progressed. The great King David was given a promise from God that a King would come from his line that would reign forever.
2 Samuel 7:12-13, “12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
When Gabriel announced to Mary that her son would have the throne of David forever, she must have thought of this promise given to David a thousand years before her time. Her son would not only save her and her people but would also rule over them as their benevolent king forever. He would provide for them, protect them, and lead them into eternal prosperity.
Fulfilling the Ancient Hope: How Christ's Birth Brought Blessings to All Peoples
The gift of a Savior King was something high on the wishlist of the people of Israel as they read the Old Testament story. Thankfully this gift wasn’t just for the people of Israel. This was God’s gift to the nations. This Savior King would bless all peoples. God shared with Abraham, who was after Adam and Eve and before King David, that he would bring about a blessing for all humanity through the Jewish people.
Genesis 22:17-18, “17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
The announcement of the angels to the shepherds, which they shared with Mary, fulfilled this hope as well. The Apostle Paul referred to this very passage as being fulfilled in Christ (Galatians 3:16). Mary and her people were waiting for a Snake-Crushing Savior King who would bless the world. That is not a gift you want to return.
Humanity had been plagued by the devastating consequences of their rebellion against God. They were enslaved to the power of sin and Satan. They were disconnected from their creator. They were lost in their pursuit of purpose as they aimlessly went about looking for meaning. They were destined for wrath because of their guilt. The gift of this Snake-Crushing Savior King was exactly what they needed. Mary knew this and valued this gift above all.
More Than a Manger: When the Savior Arrives, You Don't Need a Gift Receipt
Luke used very colorful language in describing how Mary treasured this gift. He wrote, “Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 1:19). This phrase shows that Mary didn’t fully understand the depth of what it meant for her son to be the Savior King that God had promised, but she knew this event was not something to be ignored or discarded. The “heart” was the center of a person's being and worldview. If something was “in your heart,” then it dictated how everything else was ordered in your life. Mary didn’t place this gift in the “return” pile but in her heart. It would take time to unpack the meaning and significance of this gift, but she knew that it was a monumental move of God to rescue humanity.
Mary didn’t need a gift receipt and neither do we. You may have to return some gifts before the New Year because your husband bought you a gift you already had (I did that) or your kids picked out something that isn’t your style or your friend bought you the wrong size or your girlfriend misjudged which team you root for. Gift-giving can be difficult. God’s gift of His Son is a gift you don’t want to reject, but rather fully accept. Through His Son’s death and resurrection, you can be liberated from the power of sin and Satan, you can have your guilt and shame removed, you can be restored to your loving creator, and you can experience his benevolent rule for all of eternity.
Gratitude After Unwrapping: Thanking the Savior for the Best Christmas Gift
As a follower of Jesus Christ, let me ask you, “Are you satisfied with the blessing of this Snake- Crushing King?” After all the boxes and bags are open, will your heart be full? Will you be grateful for the gift of knowing Christ, even if your material wishlist wasn’t met? I want to challenge you to adopt a new Christmas tradition. After all the gifts are opened, offer up a prayer of thanks for the blessing of the Snake-Crushing King, Jesus Christ.
Freedom and Forgiveness: A Christmas Gift Beyond Shopping Lists
If you are not yet a follower of Christ, I am so excited that you are celebrating the Christmas season with us. I hope you get some great gifts on Christmas. Maybe you will get that new set of screwdrivers you have been needing for a while or that delightful handbag you have been wanting. Christianity tells us that our greatest need is freedom and forgiveness. My prayer for you is that you will pause after all the gifts are received and ask yourself if there is something you are missing, some need that is not met. If you find yourself in a place of doubt or curiosity about what is missing in your life, come back. This is a church where you will find hospitality for your curiosity. Maybe you are not ready to put Christ in the “keep” pile and that’s okay, but please don’t place him in the “return” pile until you have looked into his message.
