The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17
Who would have ever guessed it? Of all the characters in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, the Herdmans were the only ones who seemed to actually get the message of the Christmas story. Everybody else was so wrapped up in pageant production or protecting their image that they were unable to capture the significance of the moment. But not the Herdmans. Somehow the story of a refugee couple and their special baby boy broke through, and in response they gave the best gift they could give – a canned ham.
God loves gifts like that for a couple of reasons. First, God loves gifts that come from the heart. The Herdmans couldn’t bring expensive gifts like others in the church were able to do. All they had was the canned ham that was a part of their care package. But they brought it anyhow – a gift from the heart.
And that’s why God loves those kinds of gifts. He treasures gifts that come from the heart no matter what they are. When the magi came, they brought very expensive gifts to Jesus. They had the means to do it, and it was an appropriate expression of what was on their hearts at the time. However, when the shepherds came, they likely just brought themselves. They didn’t have some tangible item to offer, but that didn’t matter. Both gifts were welcomed by God, because they both came from their hearts.
That’s what God wants from us – our heart and all that comes with it. Well-rehearsed Christmas pageants complete with bath-robed shepherds and homemade angels wings are fine as far as they go. So are the Christmas programs, musicals, and countless other ways we try to celebrate the birth of Christ. They’re fine and in some cases even wonderful. But they don’t come close to the power of a single soul who lays his heart before the manger in humble gratitude that God loved the world enough to become a part of it and to redeem it for all eternity.
God loves that kind of gift. He did then, and He does now. So as you celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas, bring your heart to Him. Let Him know that you get it – you understand why He came and you’re grateful. God will love that gift, and you will be blessed in return.
But there’s another thing. God also loves gifts that show His heart to others. For example, when the magi found the baby Jesus, they brought special gifts to Him which were symbolic of the purpose of His birth – that He would one day offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Their gifts provided an opportunity for the world to see the heart of God on display.
You see, God was acting in history to meet the spiritual needs of all humanity. He became one of us in order to reach us. In some respects I think you could say that Jesus was the heart of God lying in a manger. Any gift that reveals that truth will always be loved and valued by God.
We see the same thing when the Herdmans brought their canned ham to Jesus. As I mentioned earlier, the ham was a part of the Christmas welfare basket the Herdman’s had received. It was given to them to meet their needs, and they in turn gave it to the baby Jesus in the pageant. Through that act we see the heart of God on display.
For you see, God’s not only concerned for our spiritual lives, He’s also concerned for our daily needs, including our need for food. The canned ham then represents every act of kindness and benevolence given to those with limited resources. And in the process it reveals the heart of God. That’s why He loves it.
So if you haven’t done so already, I hope that before the year ends you will take the opportunity to bring a “canned ham” to somebody. It could be an actual canned ham. It could be a donation to help people in need. Whatever it is, know that God will love it. It’s one of the best Christmas lessons ever.