THE
GIFT by J.John Every Christmas, gifts are given with love and received with joy. Yet behind all the giving lies a far greater gift - one that has been transforming lives for over two thousand years. What makes this gift so extraordinary? And why is it still offered today? Discover the story behind the greatest gift of all.
www. j john.com
Copyright © J.John 2026 Published by Philo Trust. All Rights Reserved.
THE
GIFT by J.John
I LOVE
CHRISTMAS It’s a season of holy joy and magical sparkle – the kind that twinkles not just in shop windows but in the soul.
I even enjoy the annual tradition of Christmas gift-searching, especially when it comes to choosing a gift for my wife Killy.
After more than forty years of marriage I’ve learned that buying a gift is not a science, it’s a discipline.
It requires thought and patience. I’ve discovered that the longer you’re married, the less impressive the price tag and the more important the thought behind it.
A good gift whispers, ‘I know you.’ A bad one shouts, ‘I panicked.’
Over the years I’ve developed four simple criteria that help steer me away from the last-minute panic buy and towards something meaningful. And somewhere between the queues and the carols, those four criteria always remind me of the greatest gift ever given.
Two thousand years ago the apostle Paul summed it up perfectly:
‘Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!’ (2 Corinthians 9:15)
A gift so rich and wonderful that words themselves struggle to contain it. So what are my four Christmas gift-searching criteria?
THE
PERSONAL
GIFT
First, I want the gift to be personal. Something chosen with Killy in mind and not my preference! A gift that says, ‘I see you. I know you. I love you.’
One of the most beautiful discoveries of Christmas is this:
God knows us personally and wants us to know him personally too.
Have you ever slipped your finger into the hand of a newborn baby and felt that tiny grip close around it?
If a baby tugs your finger, it tugs your heart. Christmas is the powerful grip of a tiny hand reaching from a bed of straw – love tugging our hearts back to God.
This is the intimate heart of Christmas. God did not send a theory, a rulebook or a lecture. He sent his Son.
‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.’ (John 3:16)
God’s gift was not distant or detached. It arrived vulnerable, wrapped in flesh, breathing our air.
And it didn’t stop at the manger. Jesus lived, died for us, rose again and opened the way to eternal life. Then he sent God’s Spirit to live within us so that heaven doesn’t just await us later but begins within us now.
Christmas isn’t God shouting instructions from heaven; it’s God stepping into our story.
THE
PRACTICAL
GIFT
A good gift should be personal, but it also needs to be practical. Something that actually helps.
It’s often said that Santa brings us what we deserve; God gives us what we don’t deserve.
‘For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Romans 6:23)
God’s practical gift is forgiveness.
Jesus always focused on the heart, the inner life.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.’ (Matthew 5:8)
His gift cleanses us from the inside out. It heals guilt, softens hardness and reshapes desires.
God doesn’t just tidy our behaviour, he transforms the heart beneath it. But every gift must be received. The psalmist prayed,
‘Create in me a pure heart, O God.’ (Psalm 51:10)
Our past may be marked with regret, but with God we are offered a spotless future. Grace doesn’t deny the mess, it redeems it.
THE
PERMANENT
GIFT
When possible, I try to give Killy something permanent – a gift that lasts beyond Christmas Day, not something that’s forgotten by February.
God’s gift is like that, only infinitely more so. We are all in danger, whether we realise it or not, of spending eternity separated from God. That’s why Jesus came: to bridge the gap we could never cross ourselves.
‘Whoever hears my word and and has crossed over
Here’s the difference Christ makes: Life without Christ is a hopeless end. Life with Christ is an endless hope. This gift does not expire; it carries us safely into forever.
believes . . . has eternal life . . . from death to life.’ (John 5:24)
THE
PURCHASED
GIFT
Finally, when I choose a gift I make sure it’s purchased. You can admire a gift all you like but until the price is paid, it isn’t yours to give.
God’s gift was purchased too, and at an extraordinary cost. Salvation wasn’t discounted. Grace wasn’t cheap.
God gave his only Son. Jesus paid the price we could never afford.
We couldn’t climb up to God, so God came down to us. Our redemption has been fully paid for by Jesus on a cross, but it still must be received.
THE GIFTS OF THE WISE MEN When the wise men finally found Jesus, Matthew tells us, ‘They bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.’ (Matthew 2:11)
These were not random gifts. • Gold honoured a King. • Frankincense, used in worship, pointed to God. • Myrrh, used in burial, foreshadowed sacrifice. The wise men bowed before they gave. Worship came first; gifts followed.
THE GIFT
THAT CHANGES
EVERYTHING
At Christmas we exchange many gifts – some useful, some surprising, some politely smiled over. But God offers something infinitely greater. Not a novelty, but a necessity. Not something to admire, but Someone to receive.
The greatest gift of Christmas is not under the tree, but on a throne and once in a manger. This gift is personal, practical, permanent and purchased. It costs us nothing but it cost God everything. And here is the final wonder:
God’s gift doesn’t just sit in our hands; it changes our hearts, reshapes our lives and secures our eternity.
A CHRISTMAS
PRAYER
Loving Father, thank you for the gift of Christmas, for loving me so much that you gave your Son. Thank you that Jesus came as Emmanuel, God with us. Close enough to touch, gentle enough to trust, strong enough to save. Thank you that your gift is personal, that you know my name and care about my life. Thank you that your gift is practical, that in Christ my sins can be forgiven and my heart made new.
Thank you that your gift is permanent, that eternal life begins now and stretches into forever. And thank you that your gift is purchased, paid for fully by Jesus on the cross. Today I open my heart to receive what you have already given. I turn from my sin and turn to you.
Come into my life, Lord Jesus, by your Holy Spirit. Cleanse me, renew me and lead me. Like the wise men, I bow in worship and offer you the gift of my life, my past, my present and my future. Be born in me today. Abide with me always. And help me to live this Christmas and every day in the joy, peace and wonder of your great gift. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Copyright © J.John 2026 Published in 2026 by Philo Trust www.jjohn.com The right of J.John to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any other form or by any means without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-1-912326-54-9 Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (Anglicised edition). Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. Design management by Jeni Child jenichild1@gmail.com Print management by Verité CM Ltd www.veritecm.com Printed in the UK
THE
GIFT by J.John Every Christmas, gifts are given with love and received with joy. Yet behind all the giving lies a far greater gift - one that has been transforming lives for over two thousand years. What makes this gift so extraordinary? And why is it still offered today? Discover the story behind the greatest gift of all.
www. j john.com
Copyright © J.John 2026 Published by Philo Trust. All Rights Reserved.