The greatest gift

Pastor Don Porter

As the Christmas season is fast approaching let’s take time to focus on the greatest gift that can ever be given. When people give Christmas gifts to each other, they usually put a lot of thought into the gift beforehand. A gift tells us quite a bit about the giver. Doesn’t it? You can estimate, more or less, what people think of you by the gifts they give you. On the other hand, we can all probably remember Christmases from our childhood when we sometimes failed to fully appreciate what we had been given. It seems to me that presenting gifts to one another is a very right and very good thing for us to do. I believe that in doing so, humanity is subconsciously helping to underscore the greatest and most important thing for us to realize. It is natural and right that we should think about the child in Bethlehem, our blessed Lord, lying as a helpless baby in a manger. We must never forget that God the Father is the giver. It was the Father who sent His Son into the world. It was the Father’s purpose. It is God who “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son ...” There is no greater insult to a giver than when someone is more interested in the gift than the giver. Let’s never forget, therefore, that the Son of God was sent by the Father and that He was sent to bring us to the Father, the great and eternal Giver. Some of the most precious gifts often don’t attract our attention at first. We take a hurried glance and see nothing of significance, but if we go back and take another look, we begin to discover the glory and the wonder of that gift. So it was with the helpless baby in the manger. He was the only begotten Son of God. Words cannot describe it, as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” Even God couldn’t give a greater gift than He has given. He gave His dearly beloved Son. He has given the One who was with Him from all eternity and sent Him into the world. Our Lord Himself spoke of such a sacrificial act in His parable about the vineyard owner. The owner, who had unworthy servants looking after his property, sent his representatives and servants to the vineyard. One after the other was maltreated, even killed. Then the owner thought, “If I send my son, they won’t do this to him. Surely they will respect my son. There is nothing beyond this. It is the last act.” When we think of Christmas, we think of the arrival of Jesus. In reality, it was also a departure. For us, a Child was born. But for God the Father, a Son was given. In heaven, the time had come for the departure of God’s Son. Jesus literally went from the throne of heaven to a feeding trough. He went from the presence of angels to a stable of animals. He who was larger than the universe became an embryo. Scripture sums it up well: “Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor ...” No one who has ever lived has even remotely affected human history the way Jesus Christ has. He has been opposed, censored, banned, and criticized by every generation since His birth. Yet His influence continues unabated. What can we give to God? What do you give to God, who has everything? Christmas is a time of giving, and I’ve found it to be true that it is more blessed to give than to receive. If you are like me, you can’t wait to give your gifts. When you get something for someone, you want to see the joy he or she has in receiving. The Wise Men brought gifts to Jesus: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. What kind of gifts are these for a child? Myrrh, after all, is an embalming element. Why give an embalming element to a baby? I believe these Wise Men had insight into who Jesus was. They gave Him gold because they recognized it was a proper gift for a king. They gave him frankincense because that is what a high priest used when he went into the temple to represent the people before God. They gave Him myrrh because they recognized that this King would die for the world. How many people actually take time for Jesus at Christmas? We often forget to make room in our schedules for Him. Will you make room for the things of God? Even Christians can become so busy that we forget about Jesus. Is there room in your life for Him? There has never been anyone like Jesus, because Jesus was not just a good man. He was the God-man who came and walked this earth. And that is what we should celebrate every day! So what does God want from us in return? He wants our lives. The greatest gift you can give to God this year is yourself.