Did You Get What You Asked For This Christmas

Did You Get What You Wanted?

So did you get what you needed?

Those gifts, were they practical, sentimental, nice to haves, or something you just wanted for quite some time?

For the children, Christmas is something that is too long in the coming, and is over far too quickly.

QUESTION AND ANSWER

This morning I would like to ask the question, did you get what you needed?

And I want to answer that by saying that even if there were no presents or gifts under you tree, you have got what you needed.

WHY CHRISTMAS

For you see this morning is a symbolic date that we as Christians use to celebrate the birth of Christ. Historically it could not have happened in December, this we can prove, but December is time of relaxation, a time of family, a time of holiday, a time of joy. So what better time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ?

THE COMING OF THE BABY = GET WHAT WE NEEDED

But it is in the coming of this baby that we got what we needed.

PERFECT LIFE FOR PERFECT LIFE

The Baby Shower of Jesus Christ was thousands of years long. The planning and preparation of the coming of this baby had been on the go since Eve picked the fruit from the tree in the garden. For it was at that very moment that a redeemer from sin was needed. Not any redeemer. A perfect life for the perfect life lost. The scales had to be balanced.

NO ISSUE OF SIN?

Now let’s just come back to what you needed. I would like each of you to raise your hand if you do not have the issue of sin in your life?

Well if you guys are not going to put up your hands, I am. You see the birth of this baby that we are celebrating was just what I needed. He removed the issue of sin. So am I perfect? No. Do I make mistakes? Yes. Do the times I fall short matter? Yes But is sin an issue if I trust in Christ? No. So I don’t have the issue of sin in my life. You see as a sinner, what I needed this Christmas and every other day of my life, is Christ. I need that baby in that manger in that stable, in that Bethlehem to take away the issue of sin. We sin, but Christ makes sure it is not an issue. That is what means to be a believer in Christ. So I ask again. Raise your hand if sin is not issue in your life? That’s better. Now we are beginning to understand the joy of this baby boy.

TAKE THE BABY IN YOUR ARMS

As Christians we often speak of Christ holding us. Taking us in his arms. At this time of year we are celebrating the birth of a baby. There is no way a baby could hold us. We can hold the baby. We can step up to that Mary, and as she hands that baby to us, we can accept him in to our arms, we can accept him for all that it means for us to hold Jesus. For us to accept that gift, for it is just what we need.

TAKE HIM BY GIVING HIM OUR SIN

So what does it mean to accept him as Christ? Well it means that we have to give him our sin. Now this sounds like a really weird Christmas present. The three wise men send gold frankincense and myrrh and here we rock up with sin.

GET THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT WE ASK FOR

But it is like getting the opposite of what you wanted for Christmas. When asked you tell folk what you would like for Christmas. It would be pretty weird if everyone gave you the exact opposite. Want a praise and worship cd, they give you Marilyn Manson.

Christ has asked us to please bring him our sin this Christmas. Sin is a burden, and Christ repeatedly tells us to give him our burden. He wants our sin. For you see it is sin that stops us having a tight relationship with Christ. He wants that relationship so taking your sin as a Christmas present; it is a means to an end. He wants the sin to have the relationship.

PIECE OF PAPER

When you came in this morning you would have received a piece of paper and a pencil. Write down your Christmas gift. Write the thing the item that you feel stands between you and you holding that baby, you accepting that baby. Write it down – no one will see it no one will read it, just write down the thing you would want to get rid of in the presence of this new clean baby boy that you accept. Fold over and over. I promise no one will see it. This baby has come into the world to take that gift from you. And as we journey from this day towards easter, we will begin to realize that his whole life was centered around the Christmas present you are giving him this morning. When the collection comes pop that piece of paper in with your other gifts, and then come along tomorrow and see what Christ in the day after will do with that paper.