The Gift Of Christmas

December 7th, 2003

Let us pray.

Welcome...

Today is the second Sunday of Advent, and when we say Advent, we are talking about

our Lord’s coming to earth in human form, coming as God incarnate; God in the flesh.

This was the first Advent. Christ will come again, not as a baby, but he will come "in great

power and glory to raise the dead, judge the world, and destroy the earth." This will be the

second advent. I trust we all will be ready when our Lord shall come again.

Our topic for today will be, "The Gift of Christmas." Please turn with me in your

Bibles to Ephesians 2 verses 4 through 10, Let’s all stand

and read together. Please shake five persons hands and say, I am looking for my gift.

By the way, what do you mean by, I am looking for my gift? Are you expecting someone

to buy you a gift, or are you searching to buy yourself a gift? It seems somehow we have

lost the focus as to whose birthday we are celebrating. It seems the focus of Christmas

has been lost amongst gifts. "The joy of the season has become the joy of giving and

receiving gifts." A wife may ask her husband, what are you getting me for Christmas? or

the husband might ask his wife what are you getting me for Christmas? If you have

children, they will make a list as to what they want for Christmas. There is nothing wrong

in giving and receiving of gifts at Christmas time. It’s alright to look for a gift, and give a

gift at Christmas time, but please note very carefully, "It does not matter how many toys

you pass out at the orphanage, or nursing home, without the true meaning of Christmas it

is all in vain."

I would like to submit to you today, that there is a gift that we can share this Christmas

that is greater than any other gift you can give. I would like to talk about this gift, the true

gift of Christmas. The gift that God gave us, the gift of his son Jesus.

If you are on a budget, and you are carefully guarding your spending, you will be always

out there looking for a good bargain. On Friday, November 28th, the day after Thanks-giving, I left home very early that morning looking for a good bargain. Did you know that

the day after Thanksgiving is one of the biggest shopping days in America. I heard on the

news that on Friday November 28th, Wal-Mart made 1.52 billion dollars. Do you know

how much is a billion dollars? In America it is 1 plus nine zeroes or we could say one

thousand million, but in Britain, one billion is one million million or 1 with 12 zeroes, that’s

a lot of money.

Wal-Mart knows how to make money, when you walk into the front door of Wal-Mart

there is a greeter standing there with a big smile, a smile that makes you feel welcome and

send you on your way to go shopping......elaborate..shopping with a smile, shopping with some nice music.........

Christmas is a time of gifts, and that means it is a time of shopping, It is a time when

many of us will be saying quite often, charge it, because we have no money to spend.

Ever since the wise men from the East brought their gifts to Jesus people have been

exchanging gifts ever since. It is alright to give and receive gifts, but please be careful in

your spending, and please do not use your tithes and offerings to purchase

gifts......elaborate.. some of you might have to get caught up with your tithes before the

year comes to an end..........

This year, like many other years, millions of people both children and adults will open

millions of gifts. Some wont fit, some will be the wrong color or size, some will be stored

away in the basement, some gift you wont like, and so the day after Christmas many will

be back at the store to return or exchange their gifts. I was in my basement a few days ago

and I noticed a gift that I had bought for a family member several years ago, I will not say

which family member it is, but the gift was taken out of the wrapping paper, it is still in the

box, and never been used........elaborate..

I am sure many of us here today could tell stories of gifts gone bad at Christmas time. I

want you to know that there is one gift that meets everyone’s need. This gift I am talking

about will never wear out, it will never break, it will never need repairs, this gift comes