It was just over a month ago that I heard a light knock on the front door in the evening. I was slightly startled as it was not a time of day to expect visitors, nor was I waiting with bated breath for the next Amazon package. As I slowly opened the door, my vision was brought low as I was greeted by a small child with an ornate blue box in her hands. I quickly realized she was one of the youngest daughters of the family who had just moved in across the street. Before I could greet her, I was met with an excited smile and a “happy Diwali!” as she offered me the gift in her hands and ran laughing back down the driveway to her dad who was waiting on the curb and waving. As I went back inside I opened my present; it was a modest gift of a handful of almonds and a couple of sweets, but it left me feeling both cared for and convicted.

You see, it was not the gift itself that the child was offering me, but an invitation to share in her joy. My question, fellow Christian, is whether or not we will take the opportunity in this Christmas season to invite others into our joy? My concern, as we tend to hear a slew of messages about whether or not we are appreciating “the meaning of the season”, is that in our introspection we distance our minds from those around us.

Though it is important for us to have the conviction of the incarnation rekindled in our hearts, how much more so for those in whom the flame has never been lit?

It is important to remember that, as a Christian, stewardship is not a role that we choose or forgo, but a position we have all adopted upon our reception of Christ. We have received an incredible inheritance that began as Jesus came to this Earth and put on flesh. Do you realize how incredible that is? It was only through Him that the doors to the kingdom were thrown open to us, that our sins were washed clean, that death was overcome. Paul preaches all of that to the people in 2 Corinthians 5, and upon its reception, commissions them as “…ambassadors for Christ.” (2 Cor. 5:17-21).

So, what does that mean for you today? It means that every day that you wake up and go into the world, you are holding a gift in your hands; not a small blue box of treats, but the knowledge that God Himself came down and offered His life up on a cross. He came for you, your neighbour, your coworker, the barista making your latte, the mechanic working on your car, the waiter taking your order. Do you desire to share that joy with them? If not, might I encourage you to pray? Pray for a renewal of spiritual joy and a renewed sense of God’s presence in your life, that He might give you the boldness and desire to make Christmas about Him through making it about those around you.

Knock on a door with a small gift and a note about the Christmas story, ask someone over for dinner, invite a family to your Christmas Eve service – embody joy.