by Rev. Gina Johnson

Did you get what you wanted for Christmas? Did you get the gift you wanted? I have to say I was talking with a very close friend of mine, and she shared with me that every year she has asked her kids for one gift. And I was waiting, I was wondering what was it going to be, and she said for them to get along. And she did get that gift, and I thought, you know, as a mother of six, I feel ya, I feel ya.
Now I know what I'm going to ask for next year, but did you get what you were hoping for, for Christmas? You know, and I bet when we're younger, we're hoping for toys and exciting things like that.
Here’s a little side story. I have a brother named Brian, he's two years older than me, and there was a Christmas where we were both laying by the tree, and there's all kinds of gifts there. We weren't those kids that actually picked them up and shook them or anything like that, you know, but we were those kids that once we got to a certain age, got to help wrap presents.
And we decided one year that we would go ahead and tell each other one gift. It was an exchange. Now, with Brian, I had to be a little careful because he's my brother Brian.
Let me give you an example of that. One year, I got a one of those little boxes that you get a stack of checks in, and I'm like, what could this be? And I'm young, so I didn't even know what the checkbook box was.
This is so cool. And I opened it up, and inside was an index card that said, you got exactly what you deserve, nothing. That was from my brother and my uncle because my uncle's only like five years older than us.
So, when we made this exchange under the tree, you know, I was naive enough, caught up in Christmas, that I didn't think this could be a scheme of any kind, but I still was a little bit nervous. And he told me what that package was right there. Oh, guys, it was a blue ribbon cabbage patch show pony. And he was silver, and his name was Silver, and I adopted him and sent away for the certificate, and it was marvelous.
My dad had a way with Christmas, of always going big, and it was spectacular. And I can say, you know, that year, I got what I wanted. And I can say in all the years that followed, even if I didn't recognize it, I've always gotten what I wanted.
I've always been able to come to the close of Christmas recognizing that I am highly favored and abundantly blessed, whether it's through looking at my children, and, when I was younger, whether it was through looking at my presents. And, at different times, whether it was through looking at the memories in my mind of how through a year of up and down and all around, God always was present, showing up in my life. Whether he showed up in a friend, whether he showed up in a situation, whether he showed up in an unexpected tangible item, God was always present.
And so I can say, yes, I got what I wanted for Christmas. But let me ask you this question. Did you give the gift you wanted to give?
That one is a little bit trickier for me.
I think better than anyone, I should know Christmas is not about gift giving. I'll tell you what, my dad had some big shoes to fill, and he's still living. I used to be like that, the example he gave my brother and I. I have always been a, “we are going to go big for Christmas” person.
And it was quite a contradiction to Travis's Christmas. Not that he wasn't blessed by his family, but the way he had his Christmas was very different than the way I had my Christmas. And the way we ended up going was my way.
Not that I went my way or the highway, but, you know, kind of in some cases. So every Christmas is an extravagant production at our house when it comes to gift giving. And it was interesting because no matter how much my children affirm me with their love and devotion, I always sit there while they're opening gifts, present to the joy, but also not present because my mind is like, “Do they like it? Are they happy?” And at the end of Christmas, I think they could just read the look on my face because at different times they would share with me, “Mommy, I think this was one of our best Christmas ever,” and “Mommy, I hope you know this is probably our best Christmas.” And it's really interesting because I'm like, I don't know if I thought this was my best gift giving year, but hey, if this was the best Christmas, I know the standard for next year. But, you know, it is one of those things.
We spend a lot of time around the holidays, wondering what are we going to give people? What are we going to receive? And in a lot of ways, I have never been a fan of just giving because, “Oh, I need to give to this person, so I'm going to run to the store and oh, there's a mug. Got it. There's this. Got it.”
Because it comes with all those weirdnesses of if someone gives me something, what is the expectation? You know, if you give me a sweater, do you want to see me wearing it somewhere in the next few weeks? If you give me a plaque or a picture, are you going to come to my office and expect that it's hung up or posted? So I've always made it a rule for myself that I want to give people gifts that I know they genuinely need or want, and I want to know that my heart is genuinely in it.
I told my kids, and I don't remember how old they were when I told them, but I went to them one year and I said, hey, guys, I love you, and I love when you guys make me stuff and draw me pictures or if you guys go to Dollar Tree and buy me gifts or you go to Walmart, but I just want to be very real with you all. If this gift isn't from your heart, please don't give it to me. I love you guys, but the gifts don't matter, so anything you give me, please put your heart into it, because I would much rather have a drawing on a piece of paper that took your time and your heart and your thought than you run out to the store and buy something because mommy needs something to open under the tree. That's one of those things where it's like, you know, I really try to emphasize to my kids that it's not about the gift. It's about the sentiment behind giving.
And so I want to take you to our scripture passage today and take a look at our shepherds one more time. In the Book of Luke, this is chapter 2, beginning verse 15.
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about his child. And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
And so here we are, December 29th, about to embark into a new year.
We have been showered with gifts, whether it's been actual physical gifts, gifts of love, gifts of friendship, gifts of family. And now I want to ask you, what are you giving the Lord? What are you giving the Lord for Christmas? What are you giving the Lord as we move into this next year? And I'd love to share with you just three ways that we can offer ourselves as a gift to God.
One of the Christmas songs that I enjoy a lot talks about bringing him gold for his honor and frankincense for his pleasure and myrrh for the cross he would suffer. And if you actually do some digging into that, there's great symbolic meaning and why the wise men, why these magi, why these stargazers brought these particular gifts. Such a beautiful testimony behind it.
So my question is, what is it that you feel led to give to the Lord? Not just for Christmas, not just in 2025, but each and every day of your life. The first thing that I feel is so important to give to the Lord is our trust. There's a lot of times when we can say we trust someone and we get to that space of wondering, do we really trust that person? There’s an exercise used in groups where you’re building trust among the people in the group. It's called a trust fall.
I don't know how many people I could do that with just so not doubting, not afraid. It's amazing how many times as a teenager, somebody would want to say, trust fall, trust fall. And not only did I not want anyone to stand behind me and catch me and say, are you sure? Are you sure? And I would bend my knees and bridge myself. I never wanted to catch anyone either.
Because it was like, man, that's a lot. What if I don't catch you? What if you fall and I fall with you? What if I drop you? And, you know, it's funny because think about that message right there. How often are we in a relationship, a situation, a place of work, at school, how often even with our own selves do we say, can I trust you? And even you might say with your words, I trust you.
But then all of your questions after you said that don't sound like trust. It's one of those things where I long to have relationships that I can place trust in. But because of previous situations and programming, I find myself saying to the people that I trust the most, “Well, are you doing this? Are you really going to do that? Have you really been doing this or that?” That is not trust at all.
And, you know, I remember many conversations with my father when I would talk to him about God. He would always come back to me with the explanation like, “Hey, just think, if you love God this much, God loves you infinite times more.” I remember when I had a situation with one of my children and I was like, “Oh, man, it's going to take me a while to get over this.”
And my dad would say, “Well, you know, how quickly do you think it takes God to get over the things that you fall short in?”
He was always good at reminding me of God's character, God's divinity, God's infiniteness, which is in each and every one of us. But as we are still remembering, as we are still unlearning and learning how to be like the Lord, how to be like Jesus, one thing that we can be secure in is God is ever the same, never changing, yesterday, today, and forever. When it comes to God, there is no reason at all that we cannot place full trust in the Lord.
I talked about Corrie Ten Boom’s sister and her devotion and trust. It's amazing because when they were placed into the concentration camp, Corrie lost her father and her sister. But one thing she never lost was her faith.
She didn't spend her days saying, “You know, God, I'm in a concentration camp. Can I really trust you? Are you really going to show up? My dad just died. Are you sure you're going to make it here, God?” There were never those questions.
For me, though, I can get behind on a bill, or I can get in a situation with my health, or I can experience an unexpected circumstance, and right away, the same girl that stands at the pulpit and says, trust in the Lord, put your faith in the Lord, it only takes faith like a mustard seed, is all of a sudden looking around like, are you there? When is this going to end? Are you going to show up in time? Is it going to happen? When you trust in the Lord, you spend more time listening to what's being said. When you trust in the Lord, you don't ask questions with doubt, but you can ask questions with curiosity.
Those questions are more like, what is this here to teach me, God? God, how can I step into this situation and offer the very best of myself? Holy Spirit, I know you're present in me. How can you use me to make this situation better? God, I'm not really enjoying what's going on here. Can you show me what I can do to help this person? Those are the questions we ask when we're in those situations.
Our shepherds, without hesitation, heard the angels and went to go see the newborn king. The wise men, the magi, as they were studying the constellations and knew it was time to set off on this adventure, they trusted. Sure, they probably had some thoughts of like, “Gosh, you know, what is this going to be like along the way? What is this journey going to hold? What's it going to be like when we get there?” But there wasn't that question of, “Are you sure we should do this?” They were confident in the trust that they felt from the Spirit leading them.
Can you say the same thing in your life? In Romans 12:1, it says that you should offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. When you are offering yourself to the Lord as a living sacrifice, you are offering your unwavering, undeniable truth.
Another thing that we should consider giving as a gift to not only God, but to our brothers and sisters, is our testimony. How often are you on the fence about something, but when you hear someone talk about it, talk about their experience with it, it helps you make that decision. How many times in your life has there been a challenge that you've had, and then you hear of other challenges that other people face, and next thing you know, you're not alone.
It's so important to share our testimony. And I know that a lot of people will say, “But I'm not an evangelist. I don't go out there, and I don't evangelize.”
Well, be careful and mindful of how you are seeing that word. Because did you know that every time that you see someone, and they're like, “How are you doing?” and you share good news of how God is working in your life, maybe not by saying, “Well, you know, Jesus blessed me, and he gave me this, this, and this,” but you say, “You know, we weren't sure if the kids were going to make it for Christmas. They weren't sure. They had a lot of things going on. But we said a prayer, and we went ahead and prepared everything, and they showed up, and it was beautiful, and they had some hiccups along the way. But we talked them through it,” you’re evangelizing? You know, sometimes just that testimony is enough to get someone to have faith.
That's a really simple example, but we can go bigger. My friend Virginia has shared a story. I've heard it twice now, once in a small group and on Christmas Eve, about when her husband Jason was facing pancreatitis. There was a 50% chance that he would not make it. And Virginia, unwavering, put her trust in the Lord. And then, from that point, has shared that story as a testimony.
That story sits with me, as I know that people are challenged with illness, with diagnosis that say, no, this is the end. As I sat with a congregation member I didn’t know well in hospice care one night, I was telling her, you are an extraordinary woman, and your life is a testimony. And many of you read that and be like, you know, what did you know about her? Yeah, you're right. There's lots I didn’t know about her. But the Lord helped me out, you see.
As I was walking up to the nursing home for the first time, there was a gentleman in the parking lot. And he says, hello. And I said, hello.
And he comes over to the door. “How are you?”
I said, “I'm good.” And I said, “I've never been here before. I don't know how to get in here.”
He said, “Well, I'll help you get in here. Who are you here to see?” And I told him who.
He said, “Oh. You know, she used to babysit me when I was younger. And I had a need to see her. I'm going to make it to see her.” And he let me in.
I said, “Well, what's your name?”
He told me and I was, like, that name sounds familiar. So I asked if he knew my friend Pat.
“Yeah, he's my next-door neighbor.”
Long story short is just him sharing with me a little more about my congregation member babysitting him, him being there to visit his parents, him greeting a stranger in the parking lot, was all testimony to me. Testimony doesn't always have to be, “Let me tell you about the time I was facing this illness and this happened. Let me tell you about the time that I didn't have the money for my car payment and a check showed up on my pulpit.” That's a true story, by the way. It showed up and it was only $3 over what it was going to cost to repair my car. And no one knew. No one knew that I needed my car repaired.
Yes, there are those testimonies. But what about just the testimony of the night when I was doing late night Walmart shopping, which is something I usually do not do, the lady just started talking to me as she was ringing up my groceries and telling me how it's been a challenging year with her child who is nonverbal. And at the same time, she knows everything he needs and when he needs it. And he makes her laugh and she feels his spirit and his energy.
And what that told me was, again, a testimony of how God is working in all these mysterious and wonderful places. It doesn't have to show up in huge production. It doesn't have to show up in dire circumstances.
There's an opportunity to give testimony on a regular basis. And the more that you give testimony of the good things in your life, the more that you give testimony of how God is moving you and using you. It's one of those things of like, you know, I never thought I would do something.
I have another story about my friend Virginia. One Sunday she played the bells with a group in my church. That was her first time. And, boy, I usually see her do things like it is not a big deal. And as I watched her, I saw that she was so focused in doing her bell thing. I think she even considered backing out maybe once or twice. But she did it. You know what that told me? That told me that, maybe someday, I will grab a bell.
But it was a testimony. It was a “someone needed help, and I said yes, and I learned,” and it was a testimony.
The shepherds gave their testimony. When they went and saw the new baby Jesus, for how long do you think they were running around telling everyone, “Oh, my gosh, guys, we were out in the field. We were chilling. We had a little fire going. All of a sudden, the skies opened up. There was like this angel.”
They're like, “You're kidding.”
“No, no, no. There was an angel. And they told us that the new savior, the king is here, that we ran faster than we've ever ran, and we'll be faster. You won't believe this. The baby was in a manger. Man, it stunk in there. It was ridiculous, but all of it didn't matter because the minute we saw him, we knew. Freedom, blessing, love, and light was right there.”
And I bet they told their friends. I bet they told their families. I bet they told just random strangers everywhere, and I bet for years and years, oh, wait, we read about it in the Bible. So I don't even need to guess.
That testimony has stood over thousands of years. So what is your testimony? What are the stories you're going to tell like our shepherds, like Virginia, like the lady at Walmart with the nonverbal child? What are you all going to say and give that gift to the Lord?
Because every time you tell about the joy in your life, you are honoring the one that gives us that joy. Every time that you tell about the sorrow and then come through with the praise, you are honoring the one that sees us through the sorrow. Every time that you take a moment and ask someone else about their testimony of life, you are opening the door for another person to honor and acknowledge our God, our Jesus.
The third gift that I would recommend that you give to the Lord is your gift of devotion. You know, when the shepherds returned to their field, they were glorifying and they were praising God for all that they've seen and heard.
I bet from that point on, if they were not devoted before, they were from that point on. What is the great thing or what is the not so great thing that turned out to be a great thing that has happened in your life that secures your devotion? For those of you who are in marriages, what was it that told you this is the person I want to devote my life to? For those of you who have children, what was that feeling? Either if you were the mother in that moment, you knew there was someone in your womb that you were bringing into this earth. Or whether you were the father, you looked upon that newborn baby and you knew, I am going to devote myself to that little blessing.
What about those of you who are sitting with your parents as they are growing older and taking care of them? What about those of you who are sitting with your friends, your brothers, your sisters, calling your cousins, walking among people on this journey? What is it that they give you? What is it that you see in them? What is it that stirs up in you that brings you devotion to them? And whatever that is, multiply it and recognize that is the devotion that we should give our Lord.
And how do we give our Lord that devotion? Well, when Paul and Silas were in prison, at midnight, they were singing hymns. They were singing hymns as a way of showing their trust, as a way of giving their testimony, and as a way of showing that they were fully devoted to what God had in store.
And remember, this is Paul, who was once Saul on the road to Damascus and was blinded for his shortcoming, for his separation. And when he received his sight and was given a new name, people were like, “Man, we can't trust you. You killed some of our closest friends. We can't trust you. You have been after us Christians. Why should we trust you?” Well, you know what? God is not Saul, John, or Paul.
God is God. God is the source of life. God is the giver of everything perfect and pure and true.
God is love, and God is light, and God is the one. Whether you say being, whether you say presence, whether you say consciousness, God is the one that deserves our eternal devotion. Not because of anything we've done, but because he gave it to us first.
There's that Bible verse that says we love him because he first loved us. How many times do you see someone with a shortcoming, see someone with something that you would consider to be a flaw, and you look right past the plank in your eye, you recognize the speck in their eye, and right away you're passing judgment, you're placing a boundary, you're having fears and doubts, the trust is gone, there's not much testimony there, you're surely not going to be devoted. But you can't say that about God.
There may be times where you've been in a trial or a challenge, and you may have thought that God's timing was not the timing you wanted, but his timing is always divine and perfect. God is worthy of your devotion. And ways that you can give God your devotion, well, here's one.
Sitting together in worship, singing, speaking, sharing our prayer concerns, that's one way. But another way is prayer, study, consistent time with God. Do you take time every day to share your love with God? Those of you who have someone you love in your life, how often do you share with them that you love them? The other day I was hanging up from talking to one of my children, I think it was Dorothea, and as we went to hung up, she was like, “Love you mommy,” and I was like, “Love you.” And I said to Travis, I said, “You know, I love that every time we hang up the phone, no matter what kid I'm talking to, we say I love you.”
And I get really particular because I don't like when “I love you” just becomes a routine, a habit. And at the same time, it reminds me of the devotion that my children and I have for one another. How often do you take the time to tell God that you love God? How often do you take the time to tell others that you love them? Because devoting yourself to God is not just about praying and studying and coming to church and sitting in meditation.
You love God when you love others. You show devotion to God when you show devotion to loving and serving and forgiving and walking alongside of others. So my challenge to you all, my homework assignment for you all, is to recognize, like the shepherds, we may not have extravagant gifts to bring to God, but what God desires from us is the surrender of our lives, the surrender of our doubt and our fear and our apprehension. What God asks us for is that trust. God asks us to speak the word.
The whole reason the church was formed was to keep the story of Jesus alive. Because it's not just a story. It's our life. It's our legacy. It's our purpose here on this earth. And last but not least, our unwavering devotion is what we have.
Here's your three questions for homework. As you are devoting your trust, what areas do you need to surrender control and really let God lead? We say to God, lead us, guide us, Holy Spirit, give us discernment, show us the way. And the minute it shows up, we're like, “Eh, maybe not. That was good God, but do you have an option number two?”
I was talking to a friend of mine this morning. He said, “You know, if you feel something leading you and you don't like it, just ask for something different.” I thought, well, that was kind of funny. Because that just reminds me of saying, eh, not today. I'll do something different.
Well, when the Spirit is prompting you, when you feel that urging, you feel that calling, then what is keeping you from answering it? What is keeping you from surrendering that control?
Number two, when it comes to testimony, who in your life needs to hear the testimony of all the great things that God is doing in your life?
And remember, this isn't a story to try to get them into church. This is a story just to show them how love and life is an infinite blessing, an opportunity to experience joy in each and every moment through our Lord Christ Jesus. So who in your life needs to hear about the challenges that you are going through and overcoming? About the random surprises that brought joy to your life? Who in your life do you need to ask to share their testimony with you? Because maybe in this case, you are not the giver. Maybe you need to receive.
And last but not least, are you making time each and every day to devote yourself to God? And if you say to me, “Oh, Gina, you know I just don't have the time, I just don't have the time.” What about right now? Would you just sit here in silence with me for two minutes? Now, I'm sure you all would. Is there any reason you can't do that tomorrow? Is there any reason you can't do that the next day?
It's easy. And if you can find two, I bet you that next week you can find five. And I bet you if you can find five, then next week you can find ten.
And if you truly get into what it means to sit and be in the presence and feel the love and the immersion of the Spirit, you're not going to be able to help yourself. Because it's such a great feeling to know, I don't got to run my mouth. I don't got to think about anything.
I can just sit and be and relish and bask in the knowing that my God is an awesome God. And that I am an awesome child of God, living in His image. And so each and every day, I can offer that devotion.
I can ask, where can I share my testimony? And I can live my life with trust.
Please pray with me. Our most gracious and loving God, we trust you.
God, we want to speak about you and the way you are working in our lives. And we want to be holy and fully devoted to you. So God, whatever needs clearing out of the way, reveal it to us.
Wherever we could use that nudge, or maybe it's a shove, God, we are ready for it. As we celebrate and lift the gratitude of our lives, God, we love you. We trust you. We are devoted to you. And it's in Jesus' name. Amen.
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