Christmas Gift

What makes a good Christmas? Perhaps over the last few weeks

you have been asked, ‘are you ready for Christmas?’ Of course,

they are not asking, ‘are you ready for the wonderful celebration of

the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ?’ Rather, they are

enquiring whether all the presents have been bought, whether the

mince pies have been made, and whether all the practical

arrangements have been made. Sadly, for many, they will be

celebrating Christmas without Christ, a birthday without a birth, a

kingdom without a king. One newspaper advertisement mentioned

the 4 things you need for a successful Christmas and listed: a

large turkey, a big Christmas pudding, dozens of mince pies and…

indigestion tablets!

I wonder… when you open your Christmas presents, do you ever

say, “that’s just what I want”? Now it is doubtful whether the fifth

pair of socks is ever just what you wanted, but of the coming of

Jesus, it is CERTAINLY true that HE is exactly what we needed.

For we are all sinners, and he came to be our Saviour – and that’s

the greatest gift of all. “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

(2 Corinthians 9:15)

Of course the point of gifts we receive is that they are free and

express love. That’s also like the gift of Christ. It is all of grace that

“God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem

those under law.” (Galatians 4:4) There is nothing we can do to

make us God love us more; there is nothing we can do to make

him love us less. His love, His steadfast, irremovable love, is as

high as the heavens are above the earth. We cannot earn His gift

of forgiveness and eternal life. “There was no other good enough

to pay the price of sin/he only could unlock the gate of heaven and

let us in.” There it is: like any gift, we must hold out our hands and

make it our own, accepting his mercy and receiving His Son into

our lives.

But then gifts which are free to us, cost the giver – whether in

terms of money, thought, effort or creativity. And you see, God did

not spare his own Son, but freely gave him up for us all. Think of

the lengths He went to – the Creator becoming created; the Infinite

contracted to a span. Think of all the way He proved His love for

you – even to dying on the cross for you. Think of the gracious

1meaning of His name: “for you shall call his name Jesus, for he will

save his people from their sins.”

So how shall we celebrate the birth of Emmanuel, God-with-us?

Let me suggest 5 ways – ways which will make Christ the best gift

ever:

1. Just as Mary and Joseph had a new person to consider in

their family now with the birth of Jesus Christ, so when we

receive Christ into our lives we must consider Him in all that

we say and do.

2. Just as Mary and Joseph discovered new priorities in their

life with the birth of Jesus Christ, so it is true of us with Christ

living in us as to how we should spend our time and money.

3. Just as Mary and Joseph developed new ears for hearing

the cries of Jesus Christ, so must we hear Him in our reading

of His Word.

4. Just as Mary and Joseph had a new talking point in the birth

of Jesus Christ to their friends and family, so may we be

unembarrassed to speak well of Christ to others.

5. Just as Mary and Joseph experience afresh the love of God

in the birth of Jesus Christ, so He comes to us and lives

within us so that we can love God and one another more.

These are the ways to ensure that Christ is for life and not just for

Christmas.

God bless us all as we live our lives in, through and for Jesus

Christ – God’s personal gift to each of us this Christmas and

always.