December is widely considered a time for exchanging gifts, so this year during Advent, we’ve been taking a deeper look at “The Art of Regifting.” Even though regifting tends to have a reputation as “that thing you do when you want to get rid of something,” there ARE times when regifting can be a thoughtful and selfless act, especially when you take the time to be intentional about it. We shouldn’t write regifting off altogether, because there are some things that are just too good NOT to share - and that’s especially true when it comes to God’s gifts.
God blesses us in so many ways, some that we recognize easily and others that are more subtle. The people in our lives, the experiences we’ve had, the resources at our disposal, and of course the gift of God-With-Us, Jesus Christ - each gift shapes our lives and inspires gratitude in our hearts. Certainly, praise is an important and appropriate response, but an even BETTER response is to share what God has given to you so that more and more people can experience the same joy that you have. In the stories we just read, we see it happen again and again - someone learns about Jesus and immediately goes to tell someone else, to regift the good news, because it’s SO wonderful that they want to share it. That’s actually what the word “evangelism” means in Greek - “to bring or announce Good News”. So if you think about it, regifting is literally a part of our job description as Christians.
Over the past four weeks, we here at Boone have been digging deeper into how, exactly, we might do that. We used this box to symbolize the act of regifting God’s gifts to others, and we’ve been preparing it by “wrapping” it with the answers to some reflection questions. In case you’re wondering, the questions were, “What is the greatest gift or blessing that God has given to you personally?” “What causes are you passionate about?” “What needs do you see in the world around you?” and “How could we, as a community, share God’s gifts in ways that address the needs we see around us?” The goal was to get us thinking in concrete terms about what it might look like to regift the things that God has so generously given to us (and I encourage you to keep doing so even after Christmas is over).
Up until now, the box has been empty. After all, God’s gifts are so varied and often intangible that they’re hard to represent with anything that would fit in a box of this size. But it’s probably a good idea to pick something. Let’s see; what’s something that’s so good you’d want to share it with others? Pizza? Birthday cake? (It is Jesus’ birthday, after all.) Christmas cookies? (I guess maybe I should have had a bigger dinner…) No, none of those are quite right. They ARE amazing things worth sharing, but they’re not *quite* like God’s gifts. When you regift any of those things to others, you necessarily wind up with less than you started with. If I had six slices of pizza and I shared one with you, I’d only have five slices of pizza left. In order to share these things, you have to give something up. Which is a wonderful gesture (and really important to do at times), but that’s not quite what God’s gifts are like.
Oh! Wait a minute! I know! *[Pull Christ Candle out of box]* THIS is what God’s gifts are like: the flame of a candle. It provides warmth and comfort and light - all things that are especially meaningful in the middle of a cold winter night (or, you know, a damp and slightly chilly winter night). It’s something worth sharing. But unlike pizza or cake, what happens to the light of your candle when you give it to someone else? Nothing! It’s still as warm and comforting and bright as it ever was. Not only is it wonderful and worth sharing, we don’t lose anything when we share it.
There’s a reason that we call Jesus “the light of the world.” Of course, light gives us the ability to see and illuminates the path in front of us, banishing the night or at least lessening its power. But the light of a candle is also something that can be shared and multiplied almost infinitely. Jesus was not born this night for us to keep this news and its transformative power to ourselves. Just like all of God’s gifts, this one is meant to be passed on in gratitude and joy, lighting each person’s candle one by one until the entire world is brilliantly lit up with God’s love. THAT’S what God’s gifts can do, and THAT’S the task given to us - to regift and regift and regift, not until we have nothing left, but until EVERYONE has been blessed abundantly. That’s certainly something worth rejoicing about!
I want to end with a quote from Saint Nicholas - yes, THAT Saint Nicholas: “The Giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic his giving, by Grace, through Faith, and this is not of ourselves.” It’s God’s Grace - a gift in and of itself - that empowers us to share with others the things we’ve been given. Whenever we resist regifting, we may think that we’re being reasonably cautious about preserving our own resources, but in reality, what we’re actually doing is resisting the gift of God’s Grace. So do not be afraid - rejoice! There is enough for everyone. Rejoice, and share every single one of God’s gifts without fear of want or scarcity. Rejoice, for unto us a child is born! God’s abundant love is here - and it’s time for us to share it with the world. Amen.
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