Relationships and Community on Christmas Gift Giving

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What Do You Want for Christmas?
Author

Rick Warren
Keywords
Scripture

Mark 13:37, Philippians 4:4-5, James 1:17, Psalm 95:2-3, 2 Corinthians 9:7, Matthew 2:10-11
What do you want for Christmas this year? If you were to ask a typical little boy, he’d probably give you two words: video games. There’s a little boy I know named Brian. For weeks he bugged his paren...
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The Christmas Gift
Author

Andy Cook
Keywords
Scripture

Isaiah 61:3, John 11:32-35, Romans 8:28, Genesis 37:50, James 1:17, Romans 6:23 , 1 Corinthians 12:28
A preaching professor at Harvard University tells the story of the year his 5-year-old son was working on an art project in his kindergarten class. It was made of plaster, resembled nothing in particu...
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Eating Your Gift
Author

Tony Evans
Keywords
- Gifts
- Christmas Gift-Giving
Scripture

Colossians 3:17, Matthew 25:14-15, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, Romans 12:6, 1 Peter 4:10, James 1:17
A man who was well-to-do enjoyed buying his father unusual and exotic presents for Christmas.… But one particular Christmas this man found a gift for his father that was truly unique: a talking bird t...
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Turning a Gift into a Commodity
Author

Mike Cosper
Keywords
- Gifts
Scripture

Hebrews 13:16, Matthew 6:3-4, Luke 6:38, Proverbs 19:17, 2 Corinthians 9:7, Acts 20:35
The other way to destroy the relational bonds of gift giving is to turn a gift into a commodity. Let’s say it’s my birthday. Ten friends come over to my house, and we eat a good meal, and they all bri...
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The Real Good of Every Gift
Author

George MacDonald
Keywords
- Gifts
- Giving
Scripture

2 Corinthians 9:8, Philippians 4:19, Romans 11:36, 1 Corinthians 4:7, John 3:27, James 1:17
For the real good of every gift it is essential, first, that the giver be in the gift–as God always is, for He is love–and next, that the receiver know and receive the giver in the gift. Every gift of...
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Author

Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.
Keywords
We know the excitement of getting a present - we love to unwrap it to see what is inside. So it is with our children they are gifts we unwrap for years as we discover the unique characters God has mad...
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Author

Frederick Buechner
Keywords
Scripture

Acts 20:35, 2 Corinthians 9:5-13, 2 Corinthians 8:2, Proverbs 11:24-25
It’s not only more blessed to give than to receive, it’s also a whole lot easier.
Quote
Author

Thomas Fuller
Keywords
- Gifts
- Things
When thou makest presents, let them be of such things as will last long; to the end they may be in some sort immortal, and may frequently refresh the memory of the receiver.
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A Gift’s Value
Author

Mike Cosper
Keywords
- Gifts
Scripture

Matthew 25:40, Acts 4:32, Proverbs 3:27, 1 Corinthians 13:3, Romans 12:13
A gift’s value is in the way it makes and reaffirms bonds between people. It’s an expression of a relationship. This isn’t to say that the cost of a gift doesn’t matter, but it certainly isn’t the mos...
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Author

C. S. Lewis
Keywords
- Gifts
A man whose hands are full of parcels can’t receive a gift
Quote
Author
Keywords
Scripture

Luke 23:39-43, Luke 15:11-32, John 19:16-30, 2 Corinthians 8:9, Isaiah 53:5, Romans 3:23-24
Grace is a gift that costs everything for the giver and nothing for the recipient.
Quote
Author

Hilda Of Whitby
Keywords
- Gifts
- Stewardship
Trade with the gifts God has given you.
Quote
Author

George MacDonald
Keywords
If, instead of a gem or even a flower, we could cast the gift of a lovely thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.
Quote
Author

Augustine of Hippo
Keywords
Scripture

Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 2:1-12, Luke 1:14, Revelation 22:12, Hebrews 13:8, Galatians 4:4-5, Micah 5:2
Christmas is fast approaching. And now that Christ has aroused our seasonal expectations, he’ll soon fulfill them all!
Quote
Author

Steve Maraboli
Keywords
- Christmas
- Helping the Poor
Scripture

Matthew 25:31-46, Matthew 7:12, Luke 10:25-37, Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 18:21-22, Mark 2:1-12, Hebrews 13:2, Matthew 5:7, Acts 4:32-35, John 6:1-14
Want to keep Christ in Christmas? Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, forgive the guilty, welcome the unwanted, care for the ill, love your enemies, and do unto others as you would have done unto you.
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Holy Monday | John 12:1-11 | Giving Lavishly to Jesus
Author

Scott B. Bullock
Keywords
Scripture

John 12:1-11
Reflection In Isak Dinesen’s 1958 short story, “Babette’s Feast,” we see Babette Hersant, a 19th century French chef from Paris, seek political asylum in the Jutland region of Denmark in the home of ...
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Gracious God, we fail to give to
Author

Laura B. Murray
Keywords
Gracious God, we fail to give to others, when you have so generously given to us. We look for our maximum benefit and minimum sacrifice. We have forgotten where every good gift comes from – you. Holy ...
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Author

Mother Teresa
Keywords
"To be alone with Jesus in adoration and intimate union with Him is the Greatest Gift of Love - the tender love of Our Father in Heaven.
Quote
Author

Mary Oliver
Keywords
- Darkness
- Gifts
Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift.
Quote
Author

A. J. Swoboda
Keywords
The Sabbath is a gift we do not know how to receive. In a world of doing, going, and producing, we have no use for a gift that invites us to stop. But that is the original gift: a gift of rest.
Quote
Author

Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Keywords
Scripture

1 Kings 3:5-14, Genesis 41:39-43, James 1:17
God’s gifts put man’s best dreams to shame.
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The Gift That Inspired a Lifetime of Giving
Author

Brad Formsma
Keywords
Scripture

Isaiah 58:10, Hebrews 13:16, 2 Corinthians 9:7, Proverbs 11:25, Matthew 25:35-36, Luke 6:38, Acts 20:35
Tracy Autler’s life changed in a very unexpected way on Thanksgiving Day, 1993. Tracy was a single mother, living in an apartment in a rough neighborhood, she was doing her best to raise a three-year ...
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The Difference Between a Cheerful and a Reluctant Giver
Author

Randy Alcorn
Keywords
- Giving
Scripture

Matthew 6:19-21, Proverbs 19:17, Acts 20:35, Malachi 3:10, Proverbs 11:24-25, 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, Luke 6:38
Many Christians don’t give. Others determine to do their part but sigh deeply before writing a check to their church or ministry. They give strictly out of a sense of duty and obligation. Better to gi...
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Author

Augustine of Hippo
Keywords
God is always trying to give good things to us, but our hands are too full to receive them.
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The Crucial Importance of Stewarding the Gift
Author

A. J. Swoboda
Keywords
- Gifts
- Stewardship
Scripture

Ecclesiastes 5:19, Proverbs 3:9-10, Luke 16:10-11, Matthew 25:21, 1 Peter 4:10
The story is well known in the family: my grandparents had driven up from California the evening before. Stopping at a gas station along the Oregon border, they purchased some snacks, gas, and, as the...
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Father: today we celebrate your gift.
Author

Richard Herman
Keywords
Father: today we celebrate your gift. At creation you gave us the gift of life; through the life, death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus, you gave us new life; at his ascension, we gained a mediato...
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Covering the Bald Spots
Author

Sharon Hodde Miller
Keywords
Scripture

Jeremiah 17:7-8, John 15:4-5, Matthew 23:27-28, Isaiah 58:11, Ezekiel 36:26-27
Every year at the end of November, my husband, Ike, and I load the kids in the car and drive to the nearest Christmas tree lot. We are committed “real tree” people—not to be confused with “fake tree” ...
liturgy

Gracious and faithful God–our Creator,
Author

Richard Herman
Keywords
Scripture

Psalm 25:4-5, Matthew 1:23, James 5:14-15, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Luke 2:10-11, Isaiah 9:6, Jeremiah 29:11, Matthew 25:35-36, Proverbs 21:1, Matthew 5:14-16, Matthew 28:19-20, John 14:13, Luke 2:1-20, Mark 5:25-34, John 11:17-44
Gracious and faithful God–our Creator, Redeemer and Comforter: When we don’t know the way–You show us the way; and when we can’t find a way–You make a way. Thank you! Thank you for Your gift of a Sav...
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Gracious God, you are the giver of
Author

Chip Hardwick
Keywords
Scripture

James 1:17
Gracious God, you are the giver of every good and perfect gift. You give us our talents, our freedom, and our financial resources. We struggle to give back to you from these gifts. We often worry that...
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Letting the Ice Cream Man Donate for Me
Author

The Pastor's Workshop
Keywords
Scripture

Proverbs 11:25, 1 Kings 17:10-16 , Deuteronomy 15:10, Mark 12:41-44, 2 Corinthians 9:7, Psalm 112:5
When a visitor left a quarter for eight-year-old Liam, the family began discussing what he might do with it. His older sister suggested, “Why not give it to St. Jude’s hospital?” Liam pondered for a ...