Date: December 19, 2025
For the next two months, the Dean’s commentary will feature text by VTS & GTS faculty members writing about what they are currently teaching, reading, or writing about.
Is it possible to give a gift?
So much of our preparation for Christmas involves acquiring and preparing gifts for those we love. The more pragmatic of us ask for lists of wants and needs and dutifully acquire the items according to a pre-set and reasonable budget. More poetic souls scheme to find the perfect something that our loved ones once admired and we were thoughtful enough to remember and seek out with no thought of the cost. No matter our method, most of us spend a lot of December giving gifts.
But what about the protestations of certain continental philosophers who reflect that these aren’t gifts, but rather social and economic transactions? That is, anything that we purportedly “give” to others comes with an invisible set of expectations ranging from a simple word of thanks to a suitable physical product in return. No matter the amount of love involved, in this analysis we don’t give gifts but rather exchange objects and obligations.
In the context of our own limitations and foibles, Christmas invites us to witness a true gift. Freely given out of love, God reaches out in utter freedom and without expectation of return. As we join with angels and shepherds singing to Jesus, we have the opportunity to participate in something that’s not humanly possible. This Christmas, my prayer is that you will see more deeply the overwhelming love of God for us, and spend a moment giving thanks for the true gift that comes to the world in a manger.
Melody D. Knowles, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer
Associate Professor of Old Testament
Virginia Theological Seminary and The General Theological Seminary