Giving Thanks Before the Gift

It is ironic that Thanksgiving comes BEFORE Christmas. We move from a time focused on giving thanks for all we have been given TO a season of receiving gifts. We are giving thanks BEFORE the gifts of Christmas.

It really isn’t ironic. Look at the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The shepherds, the angel, the heavenly hosts, the Magi, Simeon and the prophetess Anna were all overjoyed and full of thanks giving at his birth.

Luke 2:30 tells us that when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to consecrate him to the Lord, the prophetess, Anna, came up to them and “gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking FORWARD to the redemption of Jerusalem.”

They knew that this Messiah was going to be a light for revelation to all people and bring the gift of redemption and salvation to mankind.

It was thrilling that Jesus was born, but they knew that much more was to come. They were giving thanks BEFORE receiving the gift...before redemption, before salvation, before peace. They didn’t know how it was all going to come about – that Christ would sacrifice his life, he would be resurrected and would conquer sin and death. But they had faith in the promises.

So as we celebrate Thanksgiving BEFORE Christmas each year, we can reflect on the timing of the people giving thanks at Christ’s birth BEFORE all that he was to fulfill during his earthly ministry culminating in the gift of his life.