According to an article written by Nick Carbone and published by TIME magazine, this year (2011), the price of purchasing every item in the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” all 364 of them, has risen above $100,000. The song lists 12 gifts for 12 days to give to your true love. PNC Wealth Management calls this the “True Cost of Christmas,” calculating the cost of buying every item mentioned in the verses (you’ll end up with 42 swans-a-swimming and 42 geese-a-laying if you do). Each year since 1984, PNC Wealth Management has put a dollar figure on the gifts in the song.
Last year, the total was just under $97,000. This year, the index increased by 4.4% to $101,000. Now, if you’re not feeling quite as generous – or if 364 separate gifts wouldn’t fit in your house – you can buy just one day’s worth of goods for $24,263. The cost of the index has more than doubled since PNC began indexing the items in 1984, when the price of one complete set was $12,673. And don’t think you can cut costs by shopping online: PNC notes that because of shipping, an Internet-purchased list will total $174,382.
Christmas comes with a price tag. So did the first Christmas. The bill for that first Christmas came due 33 birthdays later. That virgin born baby was God come in the flesh, who grew to be a sinless man who gave His life for the sins of the world. That’s the real cost of Christmas. And that is the greatest expression of love the world will ever know.
The love of God resulted in the gift of His Son; and the gift of God’s Son makes it possible to receive the gift of God’s love. Because of the cross, we can have a love relationship with God. Paul prayed we might appreciate the love relationship we have because of Christ. (READ TEXT) Paul says that because of the gift of God’s Son, we can:
1. Know God’s love - v. 17b
Paul uses two images here in speaking about how our personal knowledge of God’s love is foundational to our relationship with Him:
A. An agricultural image - “rooted”
My love relationship with God is my source of life.
B. An architectural image - “established”
My love relationship with God is my strength in life.
WHAT JESUS IS TO ME
He is Wonderful! He is the First and Last, the Beginning and the End! He is the Keeper of Creation and the Creator of all! He is the Architect of the universe and the Manager of all times. He always was, He always is, and He always will be. He is Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone!
He was bruised and brought me healing! He was pierced and eased my pain! He was persecuted and brought me freedom! He was dead and brought me life! He is risen and coming again for me! He reigns and brings me peace!
He answers my prayers morning, noon and night. He knows what I need before I ask Him. He answers according to what is best for me. He supplies all my needs for the work He gives me.
He is my Shepherd who leads me in the way everlasting. He prepares a place for me to pasture and drink clean water. He restores my soul. He leads me in the path of righteousness for His name’s sake. He protects me when I walk in dangerous places. He sets a table for me in the presence of my enemies. He is preparing a place for me where I will dwell with Him for ever and ever.
He is my Redeemer, He is my Savior, He is my Guide, He is my Peace, He is my Joy, He is my Comfort, He is my Friend, He is my Hope, He is my Lord, He is my Boss, and He rules my life! I serve Him because His bond is love, His burden is light, and His goal for me is abundant life. Everyday is a blessing for Jesus Is!
I follow Him because He is the Wisdom of the wise, the Power of the powerful, the Ancient of Days, the Ruler of rulers, the Leader of leaders, the Overseer of the overcomers, and the Sovereign Lord of all that was and is and is to come. He will never leave me, never forsake me, never mislead me, never forget me, never overlook me, and never cancel my appointment in His appointment book!
When I fall, He lifts me up! When I fail, He forgives! When I am weak, He is strong! When I am lost, He is the way! When I am afraid, He is my courage! When I stumble, He steadies me! When I am hurt, He heals me! When I am broken, He mends me! When I am blind, He leads me! When I am hungry, He feeds me! When I face trials, He is with me! When I face persecution, He shields me! When I face problems, He comforts me! When I face loss, He
provides for me! When I face death, He will carry me Home!
I love the Lord and thank Him for all that he does in my life. Yes I do love Jesus. For He is my source of existence and my Savior. And He keeps me functioning each and everyday. Without Him, I will be nothing. Without Him, I am nothing. But with Him I can do all things. (Philippians 4:13)
2. Grow in God’s love - v. 18 We grow in God’s love . . .
A. Through connecting with the people of God . . .
“together with all the saints”
B. To contemplate the passion of God -
1) It is an embracing love - “how wide”
God’s love is wide enough to embrace the whole world.
2) It is an eternal love - “how long”
God’s love is long enough to last forever.
3) It is an exalting love - “how high”
God’s love is high enough to take us into His very presence.
4) It is an extreme love - “how deep”
God’s love is deep enough to reach to the very lowest points of life.
There was a man who married a wonderful lady. In time, they had a little girl. The man loved his daughter very much. He would hum a song in her ear and tell her, “I love you, little girl.” Later when she would say that she wasn’t little anymore he would tell her, “But to me, you’ll always be my little girl.” When the “little girl” grew up and went out on her own, No matter where she was, the man would call her and say, “I love you, little girl.”
One day a call came. The man had had a stroke. Doctors said he couldn’t speak; and they weren’t sure if he understood what others said to him. The “little girl” went to his side and found him in bed, unable to speak, dance, or hug anymore. The “little girl” climbed into the bed and held him. As she lay thinking of happier times, she began to hear something from within his chest. She heard his heart. While she listened magic happened. She began to hear the message of his heart: “I love you; I love you; I love you, Little girl.”
If we will listen to God’s heart, we will discover that His heart beats out a message of love for all of us.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:8 (NIV)
We need to be careful every time we gather, to look to the cross and remind ourselves of the heartbeat of God and His infinite love for us!
3. Overflow with God’s love - v. 19
“[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!” - Ephesians 3:19 (Amplified)
Paul speaks an understanding of God’s love that transcends our mental capability and fills us to overflowing! Paul’s point is this: We who know God’s love, can continually grow in God’s love, but no matter how much we grow to appreciate His love, we will never be able to contain His love, we will always find that His love overflows!
“The Love of God” was written by Frederick M. Lehman. The third stanza was part of a lengthy poem composed in 1096 by a Jewish songwriter, Rabbi Mayer, entitled “Hadamut,” was written in Aramaic. The lines were found in revised form on the walls of a patient’s room in an insane asylum after the patient’s death.
Apparently, the patient, whose name has been lost to us, during times of sanity, adapted from the Jewish poem what is now the third verse of “The Love of God.” The words of this third stanza were quoted one day at a Nazarene camp-meeting. In the meeting was Lehman, a Nazarene pastor. He said, “The profound depths of the lines moved us to preserve the words for future generations.” He said that at a later time, he added the first two stanzas and chorus.
That verse that inspired the song was: "Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made, Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade; To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry; Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky."
Conclusion: This is part of the reason that heaven last forever. The nature of the love of God is such that it will take us an eternity to fully appreciate it. And this is the gift that God has made available to everyone of us through the gift of His Son - the gift of knowing His love, growing in His love, and overflowing with His love - for all eternity!
