After spending four winters in snowy Grand Rapids, I have finally returned to the slightly less snowy Chiang Rai, Thailand, for the holidays (there is no snow here). 

In all honesty, my family isn’t one for traditions. When you move around, live between two to three cultures, and have church responsibilities that stretch between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, there isn’t even time to begin any traditions to adhere to. But that doesn’t mean we don’t partake in traditions. 

In Thailand and many other Asian countries, churches often hold a longer service on Christmas that includes a series of performances, a short message, and a rather extensive raffle giveaway. This year, I walked into church and was given a small piece of paper with a number and a color. As I took my seat, my eyes naturally zeroed in on the mountain of gifts sitting left of the stage. These gifts ranged from bags of chips to laundry detergent to table-top Korean BBQ grills. Part of me was a little apprehensive about all of this. Christmas should always be about Jesus, right? Another part of me was eyeing the Kuromi Blanket and fidgeting with my raffle ticket. 

The raffle took place near the tail end of the service. Every number called came with a round of applause and the occasional squeal from the lucky winner. My apprehension came and went with each round of gifts. My mind was debating itself over the theological soundness of holding a raffle for Christmas service. But with every gift given out, I couldn’t help but smile with every mother, father, child, grandma, grandpa, auntie, and uncle who got to take something home. No matter what they got, they laughed and smiled. Each person took their gift with open hands and a grateful bow. I didn’t see a single frown. There were enough gifts for each family to take home something. Even after the big raffle, there was a smaller table of snacks people could take from. No one left empty-handed. My family took home a bag of chips, a box of assorted Pocky, and laundry detergent.

I held onto that detergent on the way home, grateful that we wouldn’t have to buy some for a while. Then it hit me. 

No one had to do anything to get these gifts. 

All we had to do was show up. I was given a ticket at the door. It was completely unconditional. This church decided to buy thousands of baht worth of gifts for their members simply because they decided to show up. No entry fee, no pledge, not even a record of consistent attendance. Just showing up that one day. If that isn’t godly love, I don’t know what is. 

This overwhelming generosity can only come from an overly generous God. For simply existing, God sent his only Son to die for our sins. We weren’t even willing recipients. We were lucky. Lucky that our Creator decided to still love and care for us even as we denied His existence. Our names were called on the raffle for our eternal lives when Jesus decided to come to this world as a mortal child. 

The grateful feeling I held for the laundry detergent morphed into an even greater gratitude for the gift of salvation. And isn’t that what Christmas is all about?

Priscilla Chang

Priscilla Chang (’25) majored in English literature and minored in linguistics at Calvin. She now works as a missionary teacher in Thailand, teaching language arts at Chiang Rai International Christian School. Apart from her love of reading and writing, she is also obsessed with learning languages, dancing, and watching the latest Korean dramas.