A newlywed couple is taking a weekend off to celebrate the husband’s birthday. They have looked forward to this for months. It’s their first vacation together since their honeymoon. The wife wants it to be perfect.

As soon as they’re situated in their cozy cabin hideaway, the wife takes off to town. She spends hours and spares no expense, scouring the shops for her beloved’s favorite foods, drinks, desserts, and lovely knickknacks to decorate the cabin just the way she knows he will like it. She looks high and low until she finds the right gift. Actually, she’s not quite sure it’s the right gift, but she thinks it’s beautiful and hopes he will too.

By the time she returns to the cabin, the sun is setting. As she walks in the door, her husband greets her warmly but receives only a quick embrace. The wife hurries into the kitchen and continues the preparations.

The husband sits and watches as she races from room to room, stirring a pot, lighting a candle, preparing the salad, turning on some romantic music. Finally everything else is ready and she retreats to the bedroom to make herself pretty.

As she comes out, she expects to be met with praise and appreciation for all her efforts to get everything right. Instead, a tear trickles down her husband’s face—a tear that says, “I would rather have had that time with you.”

Christmas is Jesus’ birthday. What would He want most from us—our service or our love?