Christ comes as a gift into your life,
but he doesn’t come
wrapped in shiny paper and ribbons
and you can’t say
“Isn’t that nice,”
as you quickly slide him under the bed
or store him in a dark closet
thinking that someday you’ll find a place to put him.
Christ is a gift that you can’t
pack away neatly in a box,
bringing him out for special holidays
like Christmas or Easter.
There isn’t a place in the house
where you can put him and leave him;
this gift is always at your side.
The gift of Christ
is one of those noisy Christmas gifts,
whispering in the night,
crying out during the day at unexpected times.
“Do you love me?” he whispers
“Feed my sheep!” he cries.
Where do you put this gift?
In your heart. In your mind. In your soul.
Pretty soon this gift has taken over your life.
“I had no idea how time consuming this gift would be,” you’ll say,
and sometimes you’ll wonder
about the “No return” policy.
But mostly, you will fall in love with the gift of Christ.
You will lose yourself in this gift.
You will find yourself in this gift.
About this gift, you will say,
from the deepest part of your soul,
“Thank you…this is just what I always wanted.”
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.