The Gift

THE GIFT

A Sermon by Drew Stephens

Copyright 2001

I would like all of the children to come forward. And make a line in front of each of the boxes on along the altar. We have a small gift of candy we would like to give you. I would like each of you to one at a time, open the box and look inside.

These boxes represent what you can give to Jesus in honor of His birth and God’s gift to us of His Son. At Christmas we celebrate His birthday, but how often do we look for the perfect gift for Him. Don’t tell anyone what is in the box. It is a personal gift between you and God. It is something only you can give. As the children come I’d like to read a poem.

His Name Is At the Top

I had the nicest Christmas list,

The longest one in town,

Till Daddy looked at it and said,

"You’ll have to cut it down."

I knew that what he said was true

Beyond the faintest doubt,

But was amazed to hear him say,

"You’ve left your best Friend out."

And so I scanned my list again,

And said, "Oh, that’s not true!"

But Daddy said, "His name’s not there,

That Friend who died for you."

And then I clearly understood,

’Twas Jesus that he meant;

For Him who should come first of all;

I hadn’t planned a cent!

I’d made a Christmas birthday list,

And left the Savior out!

But, oh, it didn’t take me long

To change the list about.

And tho’ I’ve had to drop some names

Of folks I like a lot

My Lord must have the most,

because HIS NAME IS AT THE TOP!

The Boxes

Tomorrow morning there will be wonderful presents, wrapped in beautiful paper, tied in ribbons and bows, beneath the Christmas tree. There will be games, and clothes, candles, and gadgets, books, and music, all selected with love and care. But Christmas, is the celebration of Jesus Birth. It is a remembrance of what God gave to us. What do we have under the tree for Jesus? What gift could we possible give to God that could express our love for Him? As we begin our Christmas Celebration, lets start it off right by singing, “Happy Birthday Jesus.” Joel lead us.

Gifts

At Christmas time we naturally think about gifts. Most of us invest a great deal of time and energy into finding just the right gifts for our loved ones. But there are good gifts and there are bad gifts.

According to an American Express survey on Christmas gifts found that the fruitcake was chose most often (31%) as the worst holiday gift. It even finished ahead of “no gift at all.”

When asked how to dispose of a bad gift, any bad gift not just the proverbial fruit cake, 30% said they hide it in a closet, 21% would return it, and 19% said they would give it to someone else. So if you get a fruitcake at your New Years Eve party, you can bet it’s been recycled at least once.

But what about some of the good gifts?

My Favorite Gift.

What is your favorite Christmas gift? Think back over the years. What present do you remember most fondly? I remember when I was 7 years old I got an Army helicopter that meant so much to me. It is the only gift I can remember my parents letting me open on Christmas Eve. It meant so much to me because at the time my older brother was serving in Vietnam. Every time I played with it, I was reminded of him.

So what is your favorite present? Perhaps, it was jewelry, a toy, a piece of clothing or a trip?

My favorite Christmas Gift was given to me in 1982 by a lady by the name of Joan Ellis. Now I tell you it is a gift I have never personally used, but it is more precious to me than any other gift I have ever received. I have never worn it, I never even put it on but it means more to me than all of the toys and tools, sweaters and suits I have ever received. I’m not going to tell you what it is just yet, but I will tell you it means so much to me because it is a gift I was given to give. It was a gift of love.

The greatest of all gifts are gifts of love.

All gifts of love are gifts from God. As we consider Christmas, let’s consider the precious gifts of love that God has to all people. There are many other gifts that He has given, but I want us tonight to focus on the specific gifts God has given to everyone.