According to every study I have ever come across, people do not value free stuff as much as they do the things they’ve worked or paid for. That is unless they are of emotional or sentimental value. People tend to value less expensive things they have worked for, over more expensive things they’ve been given for free. For this reason, often times gifts of great value go unappreciated or neglected. That’s probably why the biggest, most extravagant and expensive gift of all times goes unappreciated and neglected.

As we celebrate Christmas, we seldom reflect on the immense cost of God’s grace freely given to us. We rarely stop to think that God’s grace is preceded by death. We rarely stop and think of the price God paid to ransom us from eternal death. Maybe that is why Jesus, right before being hung on a cross, gathered his disciples to leave them a visible and tangible reminder of the price he was about to pay to give us all the gift of eternal salvation.

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you – Luke 22:19-20

Christmas is a reminder that God has given us what we most needed even if it was not what we most wanted. Christmas is a reminder that God has given us the most expensive gift in the history of heaven and earth. There will never ever be a more lavish and expensive gift. But we should never forget the high price God paid and we should always appreciate God’s gift of salvation. Every once in a while, we should remember that the baby who was born in a manger one day hung on a cross, his body pierced, and his blood poured out, as he carried out our death sentence. This is grace, the most expensive and lavish gift ever.