Study guide Gifts: Which ones are best? G
By Robert C. Blezard
ifts are still one of the best ways to tell people you love them. But gifts come in a wide vari-
ety, don’t they? Whether elaborate or simple, pricey or inexpensive, homemade or store-bought, their value reflects your feelings. Some of the best gifts are gestures or acts of service we do for one another.
Exercise 1: More blessed to give In Acts 20:35, Paul quotes Jesus as saying: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Why is this true? How has this truth evidenced itself in your life? Is it harder for people to give than to receive? Is it harder for you? It’s more blessed to give, but doesn’t every gift also need a recipient? What would happen if we refused the gifts we were given?
Exercise 2: Favorite gifts Tell your study group about your favorite Christmas gift. How old were you when you received it? Who was the giver? Why was it the best ever? Now tell your group about the favor- ite Christmas gift you’ve given. What were the circumstances? To whom was it given? What made it special?
Blezard is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Arendtsville, Pa. He has a master of divinity degree from Boston University and did subsequent study at the Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg (Pa.) and the Lutheran Seminary at Philadelphia.
Exercise 3: What makes a gift? As you consider the stories about favorite gifts in The Lutheran and from your study group, discuss what makes a gift special. Reflect on these factors: cost, uniqueness, useful- ness, timing, appeal, attitude, circumstances under which it was given, the giver, and relationship to
the giver. What other factors are relevant? Which of these is the most important? What really determines the value of a gift?
Exercise 4: Christmas gift mania When did the Christmas shopping season begin when you were a child? When did it begin this year in your community? Does the Christmas shopping season come too early? Is Christmas too commercial? Does our culture put too much emphasis on giving gifts? Have you gotten caught up in this? Have you gotten free from it? How do you cope?
Exercise 5: Christmas ads Analyze the TV advertisements for Christmas gifts that you are see- ing this month. Which two or three ads really stand out? What are their underlying messages about how you express your love to others, how love and gift-giving are related, and how spending money and love are intertwined? What do the ads make you think and feel? Are the ads’ mes- sages true or false?
Exercise 6: Cost of Christmas How much do you spend in total on Christmas gifts every year? How many do you buy? How do you decide the price range for each recip- ient? Do you go into debt to buy Christmas gifts? Do you feel pres- sured to spend a lot of money and buy gifts that are more expensive than you would like? How do you handle this pressure? What are alter- natives to spending a lot of money?
Exercise 7: My gift = my love If I spend $100 on gifts for one of
my children and $75 on gifts for the other, does that mean I love the sec- ond child less? Do we sometimes measure our love for people by the amount of money we spend on their gifts? Why? How do we avoid that trap?
Exercise 8: Not needed, unwanted
Have you ever torn your hair out try- ing to find a gift for someone who already had everything he or she needed or wanted? Why do we feel compelled to buy stuff for people who have everything? Has anyone ever told you they don’t want a pres- ent, but you went ahead and bought one anyway?
Why do we fall into such situa- tions? How can we avoid it?
Exercise 9: It’s the thought that counts
When it comes to giving gifts, peo- ple often say, “It’s the thought that counts.” Is this true? Why? Which is better: to receive a great gift that is given thoughtlessly or a not-so-great gift given with love? What’s the difference?
How can you make sure people know your gift is given with love?
Exercise 10: The meaning of Christmas In Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Whos down in Who- ville found joy despite a gift-free Christmas. How would your com- munity respond? Your family? From where does the meaning of Christmas come? How well do you live out what you say on your lips and believe in your heart?
This study guide is offered as one example of the more than 300 that are currently available on The Lutheran’s website. Download guides—free to print and Web subscribers—at
www.thelutheran.org (click “study guides”).
26 The Lutheran •
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