If its the thought that counts, then consider yourself gifted. After all, grace is given each of us by God to cheer us up, eggnog notwithstanding.
I believe, for example, that we’re called to prophesy. That’s why we say, “Good Morning!” to each other. Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Perhaps another way to prepare for Christmas is searching for the perfect thing to say, as much as it is the perfect thing to wrap in a box. Try making your own elevator music before you step into the office. Unleash the still small voice within you with a hill-skipping chorus of “Joy to the World.” Put some coins in the Salvation Army bucket before you go into the mall. Put more coins in when you come out.
Our reasonable service, according to Romans 12:1, is to present ourselves as a living/giving sacrifice.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
Maybe that means watching somebody else’s kids so they can get some last minute stocking stuffers. Maybe it means shoveling an extra sidewalk or making sure the salt of the earth covers an icy patch of the road. Television is forever telling us to give our very best this season. Maybe there’s something to that; after all, that’s what Jesus did.
