"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." - Dr. Seuss, How The Grinch Stole Christmas
In this classic Christmas tale, a grumpy creature called The Grinch finds out that Christmas is far more than the side orders we've added to it over the years. The decorations, the feasts, and especially the presents, are all nice to have, but they are not (or at least should not be) the main focus.
Unfortunately, this creates a grey area for us. We tend to feel obligated to give gifts, and the more greedy among us (take that as you will) will actually put our focus on those gifts. Paul gives us the answer: Giving gifts is not a command. Rather, it is a show of true love.
After the Grinch stole Christmas, he was awakened to the fact that Christmas is more than just the gifts by the fact that his plan to "steal Christmas" failed miserably. Rather than gathering in the town center to cry over their missing presents, the Whos gathered to sing. They sung so loud, and so joyously, that even from the top of the mountain, the Grinch was moved. His anger and hatred dissipated, and he returned everything he stole, after which he received the greatest gift of all: Forgiveness. Despite not deserving it, the Whos took in the Grinch, and even gave him the honor of carving the turkey. He didn't deserve all that, he didn't need all that, but he was given it anyway.
As Christians, we have received that same gift. We don't deserve what we received from Jesus. We deserve to be isolated from Him, and even upon forgiving us, why do we need what He is preparing for us? He could have just put us on a similar planet to this one, but instead He is taking us to Heaven, where "eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for us" (1 Corinthians 2:9). And at the expense of His own Son's life!
And so Paul effectively says "listen, you don't have to give gifts, but love should motivate you to do so". With that in mind, I would like to take a moment to promote a charity called Samaritan's Purse, which on an annual basis runs what it calls "Operation Christmas Child". Between the 1st and 18th of November, they collect shoe boxes full of gifts to send off to less fortunate children. It is my hope and prayer that some of you will support their cause. Either way may you be blessed in Jesus' name.