Day 39

 

A Filipino Christmas

 

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and myrrh.

 

Matthew 2:11

 

 

It was not a great start to the Christmas season. My wife had just been in the hospital for a lengthy stay. It was congestive heart failure. She was out of danger for a time but her condition would only get worse. It wasn't exactly the ingredients for a joyful Christmas.

 

We had not put up a tree or decorated or made Christmas cookies; we were in survival mode. I had done some Christmas shopping but it just didn't seem much like Christmas. One night the doorbell rang and when I answered the door there was some Filipino kids from my youth group there with their parents. Another car full of Filipinos pulled up and then another. Soon our house was full of kids and their parents. They did not come empty handed.

 

A tree was brought in and set up. They brought icicles and ornaments and decorated the tree. They had cookies and other goodies. Most of all they brought Christmas.

 

Giving at Christmas time is a tradition grounded in the Christmas story. "God so loved the world that he gave..." The wise men came and they gave. We give gifts to our friends and loved ones. We can also give to God by giving to Christmas offerings for missions.

 

I will never forget how my Filipino friends brought us the gift of Christmas joy. Every year on our tree we hang one of those ornaments they brought alongside other ornaments with their own Christmas story. It is a reminder that friends are precious, God is good and Christmas is a time to give.

 

Upon Further Review:

 

Read Isaiah 9:6-7

 

• To whom is the child given?
• What kind of needs does this gift meet?
• How long will this gift last?