Christmas - The Gift

December 14, 2024

It’s that time of year again…. The Christmas trees are up, the lights are strung and there is a general feeling of anxiety in the air as we rush to and frow looking for those last-minute gifts.

Choosing just the right gift can be stressful – it would be so deflating if we gave a gift that wasn’t wanted – so we stress and we think and we stress and we think and then we buy a gift card……….

In Heaven it was never a question – the Gift that would be sent. Hundreds of years before the prophets wrote:

Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Micah 5:2 - "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."

But here’s the thing, God also knew that his perfect Gift would not be well received. Most people would reject Him – including those who had spent a life time claiming to want the Gift.

Isaiah 53:3 - He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Why would such a Gift be rejected? Because when the story of Jesus’ birth fades to black and all the ornaments are put away, it is not the end of the story. Not only did the Gift not come as expected, He didn’t work as expected, He didn’t speak as expected, He didn’t live as expected and then he died ---- which was not expected.

God did not send Jesus to create “The Holiday Season.” Jesus was sent and willingly chose to come to planet earth to buy our freedom. To unshackle us for the chains of sin and to save us from them (not in them):

Matthew 1:21 - She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

John 1:29 - The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Romans 5:6-8 - You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Which was also, not expected.

The Gift didn’t come to do what the people wanted: A “redeemer” who would establish an earthly kingdom. The Gift came to die. He came to seek and save the lost.

Isaiah 12:2-6 - Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."

Merry Christmas everyone. I pray that we will never forget the true mission of that babe in the manger – our salvation.