Christmas is a special time of year that many of us look forward to. We have so many good memories and experiences of Christmas in our past. There’s the Sunday School Christmas Pageant, the Christmas Eve Candlelight service, Christmas cookies and goodies, time with family and friends, Christmas cards and letters that help us stay connected with family and friends, the Christmas feast, and there are so many other things that could be listed here. But of course, one of the things that children, and sometimes adults, really look forward to is that of the presents. Ah yes, the Christmas presents.
It's always great tearing into the wrapping paper, opening boxes and giftbags, and seeing what treasures are contained inside. But then comes the moment when the wrapping paper has been disposed of, the boxes and gift bags have been recycled or folded up to be used again later. Then the gifts have to find a new home in one’s room or the life of the recipient.
Some gifts are really just gag gifts; funny or humorous. They might be kept for a day or two and then either set aside or thrown right in the trash. Then there are the disappointment gifts. You know, these are the ones that you were hoping for something different but yet it is OK, or it is a different brand than you had wanted. So, it will likely be used sporadically. There’s the “Nope, not for me,” gift. The ones you smile at when you receive, but you know that gift will likely end up in the regifting box. There’s the limited-life gift. These are the candy or food item gifts. You really do appreciate them and enjoy them, but once they are eaten or are used up, they are gone. There are the WOW gifts. These are the gifts that you hadn’t expected and when you unwrap them you say or think “WOW” and they then become a valued life possession.
There are the “clothing” gifts. You know, the gifts of clothing of some sort, gloves, hat, coat, shirt, pants, underwear, tie, etc. It is likely something you need and you will wear or use but they are usually seen as not the most exciting gift. And of course there are the “YES” gifts. These are the ones that are exactly what you had hoped for and will become a treasured and used possession, at least for a while. Then there are the unexpected gifts. These are the ones that you received that you hadn’t expected. It was nowhere on your list or even in your thoughts, and yet it becomes one of the most useful and valued gifts of your life. I could go on, but you get the idea. We each categorize gifts in our minds and in our lives and they are used accordingly.
So, as we all sort through our gifts and think about the place they are going to have in our lives, there’s one gift that we receive each year that we also must deal with and decide where it goes. That’s the gift of Jesus. Each year we receive this very first Christmas gift – the gift that was given just over 2,000 years ago. It’s the gift that started it all…it’s the gift that is given and received every year. It is the gift of Jesus.
Each year…and really, each day, we receive the gift of Jesus. Like other gifts we have to decide how we are going to value and use this gift in our life. Sometimes Jesus is the Limited-Life gift, sometimes the Nope Not For Me gift. Sometimes the WOW gift. But there’s one other type of gift I failed to mention. It’s the gift that you receive and the more you have it in your life the more ways you find to use it and that it impacts your life…for the better. That’s always the hope of how the gift of Jesus will be received. It is my prayer for all of us that we’ll each say YES to Jesus and then the more we make Jesus a part of our lives the more ways we’ll find that Jesus makes our life better.
So, Merry Christmas Everyone. May the joy and the spirit of Christmas continue to touch our lives and may we make room for the gift of Jesus in our hearts and lives each and every day!
Pastor Keith