His bride has made herself ready…

Christmas: The Only Gift We Can Give God

At Christmas, we celebrate the astonishing truth that God gave Himself to us. The child in the manger did not come because God lacked anything. He was not lonely, deficient, or incomplete. Everything already belonged to Him—the stars, the angels, the world itself. Even the stone of the manger and the breath of the shepherds were His before He arrived. So why did God come? Because love gives.

At the heart of LUMEN is a simple truth: there is nothing we can give God that He does not already have. Everything we use to serve Him—our strength, our time, our resources, even our breath—was first given by Him. We cannot add to His glory or supply what He lacks. So what could possibly delight the God who has everything? The answer is love.

When my children were young, they wanted to give me gifts, but they had no money. So they drew pictures. Sometimes they were little more than crayon scribbles, but I treasured them. Not because the paper was valuable, but because the love behind the gift was freely given. As a father, that love mattered more than anything they could have bought.

Christmas tells us God receives us the same way. In Jesus, God entered our poverty. He accepted straw instead of silk, a feeding trough instead of a throne, shepherds instead of scholars. He did not come to collect impressive offerings. He came to invite hearts. Even the gifts of the wise men point us in this direction. They did not bring toys or comforts for a child, but symbols of who God is and what love would cost. Gold proclaimed kingship—the reign of the Father, whose goodness and authority stand behind all creation. Frankincense, the incense burned in the temple, spoke of the Spirit—the presence of God dwelling with His people, rising like prayer. Myrrh, used for burial, pointed toward suffering and death—but also toward preservation, victory, and resurrection. Even at the cradle, love was already looking toward the cross and beyond it.

We have nothing of intrinsic value to offer Him except our freely given love. Love is the only gift worthy of God precisely because it cannot be forced. It must be chosen. That is why freedom matters so deeply to Him. God does not want obedience without affection or service without relationship. He desires sons and daughters who love Him freely, because love that is compelled is not love at all.

Our love does not originate in us. It is a reflection of His love, awakened within us by His Spirit. Christmas is God lighting that spark—love entering the world so that love might be returned. When we love God, we are not giving Him something foreign to Himself; we are reflecting back what He first poured into us.

Even when our love feels small or imperfect, He receives it with joy. If all we have to offer are scribbles, He still displays them with delight. This is why God values the heart above all else. Sacrifice matters, generosity matters, obedience matters—but only because they express love. God looks beyond the act to the affection that animates it. He protects our freedom because only free people can love, and love is His highest aim.

LUMEN proclaims the universe exists for this purpose: that God may love you, and that you might learn to reflect that love back—to Him and to others. God’s love, when reflected, does not diminish. It intensifies. We are learning to love as our Father loves, and one day we will join Him in that love forever.

Christmas is the beginning of that story. God giving Himself so that love might be freely returned. God does not seek spectators or robots. He seeks children. And the gift He treasures most this Christmas—and every day—is the love we choose to give.