Pastor's Corner: Holiday, and year-round, exchanges

By Brian and Vicki Barrows

Do you work in retail? If so, you’ve just completed your busiest time of the year, right? And now you’re seeing the folks who want to return or exchange the Christmas gifts that didn’t work for them. From the retailer’s perspective an exchange is better than a refund, because inventory still goes out the door, and money stays in the till. Actually, many customers prefer an exchange, as well, because they go home with something they selected, so they know it fits and is a color they like, for example.

The topic of exchange brings to mind the following Bible verses from Isaiah 61, a passage Jesus quoted when He began His public ministry (see Luke 4:18).

1. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,

Because the Lord has anointed Me

To preach good tidings to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

2. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

3. To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

7. Instead of your shame you shall have double honor,

And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.

Therefore in their land they shall possess double;

Everlasting joy shall be theirs.

These are indeed “good tidings,” i.e., good news!

Notice the variety of transactions described in the passage: Ashes are exchanged for beauty. The bereft receive the oil of joy instead of mourning. The one wrapped in a spirit of heaviness can trade it for a garment of praise. Instead of confusion there is rejoicing, and in the place of shame there is honor — not just a smidgen but a double portion!

You may be wondering what ashes are doing in this passage. Did someone clean out the fireplace and give the residue as a gag gift, a precursor to our modern-day lump of coal in the Christmas stocking? Actually, the Old Testament contains several references to ashes, usually associated with mourning. For example, in the book of Esther the king decrees that the Jews are to be destroyed. Esther 4:3 says the people reacted with ”great mourning … fasting, weeping, and wailing, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.” Incidentally, the word “beauty” in the verse from Isaiah is translated as “garland” in some versions of the Bible, and the original Hebrew term means a “crown of beauty.” Who wouldn’t prefer that over ashes!

Furthermore, the “spirit of heaviness‚” is also referred to as “fainting,” and the “garment of praise” shows up as a “mantle of praise” at times. A mantle is similar to a cloak or cape and is often worn by royalty or someone with a particular calling or level of authority. For example, when the prophet Elijah was about to be taken up into heaven, his protégé Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s anointing (hmmm, does “double portion‚” remind you of anything?). As Elijah ascended, his mantle fell to the ground. Elisha picked it up and immediately began operating as Elijah had. For more details refer to 2 Kings 2.

Many other examples of tradeoffs may be found in scripture. For instance, examine Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28-30:

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Are you weary? Are you laboring, especially in your soul, to achieve a fulfilling life? Would you like to lighten your load and experience rest instead? Or perhaps you’re mourning? Maybe the holidays have been difficult. Perhaps you lost a loved one, or finances have been tight and you weren’t able to buy gifts.

Whatever your current situation, we encourage you to “take it to the Lord in prayer,” as the old hymn says and take advantage of the trade-ins Jesus is offering.

Let’s return to the topic of the Christmas gift exchange for one final point. The giver pays for the gift and bestows it on the loved one. The recipient opens the gift, finds that it doesn’t work, and goes to the store to make the exchange. The giver pays, and in the end the receiver ends up with something wonderful for free.

Similarly, Jesus sheds His blood on the cross to purchase eternal life for us, something we can’t obtain for ourselves. He pays the ultimate price and we receive the ultimate blessing. As we enjoy the material presents we received this Christmas, may we also take time to rejoice over the greatest gift ever given.

(Brian and Vicki Barrows are at Foursquare Church in Havre.)