Greatest Gift

From Ladies' Christmas Tea 2011:
 What is the greatest Christmas present you’ve ever received? I don’t have anything that amazing, but I do remember a gift Paul gave me our first Christmas together after we were married. I’d always wanted to learn to play the piano and a friend had given me some lessons my senior year of college. But then Paul and I got together and I got a bit distracted and the lessons fell by the wayside! Paul surprised me with a beautiful keyboard with all the bells and whistles. It had the different settings like grand piano, clarinet. and even disco! It was a great blessing.
As I’ve reflected on what makes for a great gift, I think it’s the ones that express love, that meet a need or desire, as well as those homemade gifts that have something of the giver in them, that mean the most. I’d like to propose to you that God gave us the greatest gift that first Christmas, one that truly has something of the giver in it, perfectly expresses His love, and fulfills our deepest needs and desires.
 Let me try to explain: First some Scriptural background: Gen. 1:1-2 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light, and there was light.” And on the passage goes, with God creating everything by His Word. Each day heralded another command that His creation be designed. The mountains, and seas, the animals, and flowers - all the beauty we see around us God spoke into being! And, fortunately for us, on the sixth day, He made mankind. He said, “let us make man in our own image, after our likeness. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.”(Gen.1:26-27) (Now this was long before the first Christmas, but it sounds very similar to passages in the gospel of John and the book of Colossians: (John 1:1-4) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ..All things were made through him, .. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (v.14) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Col 1:15-19) “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were made, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, --all things were created through him and for him. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”
 The Word that existed in eternity past, God Himself who created all things, came wrapped up in a baby that first Christmas! The term ‘the Word’ conveys the notion of divine self-expression or speech. I would say this gift of Jesus truly had something of the Giver in it!!! God’s very essence indeed! God also expresses His perfect love and meets our greatest need in this gift. Why did He God give us Jesus? John 3:16 explains: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Our greatest need is not material (as pressing as these can be), but spiritual. You see, soon after God had finished his amazing creation, the perfect harmony Adam and Eve enjoyed with Him and each other was destroyed by sin. Ever since the fall in the garden, mankind has been exiled from God, because the holy God cannot dwell in the presence of sin. This disease of the soul has infected all humanity. Our sins, whether many or few, whether acknowledged or denied, have separated us from God and effect all our relationships. I must admit I can easily go from being good to being more like the grinch in the course of a day. Selfishness and pride rear their ugly heads.
Paul sent me these true , humorous accounts of the Christmas spirit gone bad: ‘ Although most people don't know what to do with their tree once the celebration is over, a woman in Victoria, British Columbia, had an idea. She was arrested for beating a man with her Christmas tree. The incident was sparked when the man grumbled that the load of gifts in his arms was heavier than the tree she was carrying.’ and another one: ‘When her Jensen Beach, Florida, apartment complex held a Christmas-lights competition, Donna Simmons-Groover was a winner…briefly. One of her neighbors, incensed at losing the contest, ripped down part of Donna's winning display.’ Unfortunately we witness the plague of sin in our own lives and hear it broadcast on the news every day, and usually it’s not very funny, is it?
 But there is good news! Good news of great joy, as the angels announced that first Christmas! God wasn’t satisfied to condemn us to everlasting separation from Himself. Like a mother or father for their children, he longed to be with us. His love compelled Him to send His Son on a rescue mission for us. He sent Jesus, born of virgin Mary, miraculously transported from heaven to earth that first Christmas. Christ came and lived a perfect life of obedience to His Father and took upon Himself the punishment our sins deserved in order to provide forgiveness and reconciliation to our Father in heaven. His death and resurrection have purchased this gift for us! We now have this invitation to be reconciled to God through the Savior of the world. John 1:12 “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” This is truly the best gift you will ever be offered! But a gift offered does not guarantee a gift received, does it? One could choose to reject the gift, thinking they have no need or desire for it. I pray that you would receive the gift of Jesus for yourself if you haven’t already. If you’re not sure whether you have, let me ask you a question: Can you put our name in the blank of this promise? “For God so loved (your name) that He sent His Only Son for (your name) that you would believe in Him and not perish but have eternal life. “
 This gift not only has something of the Giver in it, perfectly expressing His love, and meeting our greatest need, but it also fulfills our deepest desires. We are all made with desires for true, unfailing love and for purpose and security. God made us, He knows us more than even our spouse or best friend could. He understands us better than we do!! And the amazing thing is that He loves us, warts and all!! We don’t surprise Him with our weaknesses and failures. In fact, He sees every day before it comes to be and knows every word we’re going to speak before we speak it! That’s a lot of words, huh, ladies?!! (Psalm 139:4,16)“even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether, in your book were written all my days before they come to be.”
 He loves us perfectly based on Christ’s performance, not our own. He has made us uniquely with a specific purpose in mind and He promises to provide all we need to fulfill His plans. He satisfies our desires with good things. I’m not saying life will be easy, no, this is not heaven yet, and there is suffering. In fact, I was thinking about how Mary and Joseph’s lives became more complicated and challenging when Jesus came into the picture!! But He comforts us in our trials , and uses them to teach us to trust Him, to set our hearts on heaven, and to make us more like Him. To top it all off, He grants us unending companionship with Himself! We can talk to Him anytime and He is always listening! He showers us with grace and mercy every single day. He promises never to leave or forsake us! At death we will NOT part from Him! He will carry us from this world to heaven.
 Do you see why I think this gift of Christ has all the earmarks of the best gift ever? He was God’s perfect way of expressing Himself and His love to us. He meets our greatest need, and fulfills our deepest desires. We were not meant to travel this life alone, ladies. The greatest blessing and the ultimate purpose in life is to know and enjoy a relationship with our Creator. And when we know Him, we will bring that blessing to others. The material gifts we give and receive are nice, but honestly they don't last and I don’t remember them for long. In fact, that piano keyboard I told you about became a toy for my kids and eventually got broken. I still haven’t learned to play!! But this gift of Jesus will never be forgotten and will not pass away. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!