Merry Christmas

The Christmas experience is a great gospel story. Not just the obvious season, reason and gifts given and received. Not just the Christmas story biblically written, told, performed and celebrated year after year. Let’s go a little deeper if you will?

In the beginning there was a gift and a giver. The giver loved the gift and wanted to share it, but there was no one to share it with :(

Not to be put off, because the gift was so great and the desire to share was so immense and so infinitely great, the giver began creating. Amongst the creation there was mankind. Now there were many other things in the realm of creation, but none was found to have the capacity to receive and appreciate the gift except mankind. So the giver walked with mankind, sharing and revealing bits and pieces of the gift.  Preparing mankind to receive the gift as it was meant to be. But mankind was not yet able to fully appreciate or patient enough to wait, so just like the age old challenge between kids and Christmas,  mankind tried to open the gift before its time. The giver was not really angry, but knew that mankind was not yet ready for the gift. So the giver took back the present, rewrapped it in a beautiful wrapping and put it away for another time. There would be a day for the gift and that day would be glorious! The giver could hardly wait. But the giver had forever and would watch and wait for as long as it took for mankind to be ready.

So every Christmas, mankind relives the scenario. Special gifts being given by people that care for one another and desire to see the joy of receiving the greatest gift. Wrapped up in colorful paper and tied up with beautiful bows hiding a little opportunity for an explosion of joy at the revealing of the gift. But unlike the first gift tucked away in the very beginning by the giver, these gifts fall short of the infinite joy of that first gift. The Christmas tree a reminder of the first tree where the first gift was lost. The multitude of gifts scattered beneath, an attempt to overwhelm by numbers, the one gift of the giver. The many gifts are temporary. They will break, get lost or just be forgotten, because they are only a shadow and promise of the greatest gift. Year after year a drawing of mankind back to the first gift. Now you know that I am writing of God and the greatest gift of eternal living. The baby Jesus, wrapped in swaddling clothes, hung on a tree, rewrapped and hidden away in a dark place is just waiting to be opened. Waiting for one to open and receive the gift placed within by the giver. The gift is three-fold. The first is the salvation of Christ, the promise and joy that mankind can find in this temporary life, but there is a gift within that gift and yet another gift within that one. This life is difficult and the full revelation and ability to handle the gift is hard. So the second gift is the Holy Spirit. This gift is the never-ending hope, ability and guide to navigate this time. A never-ending beacon of light to the third gift. As the gifts of this life are temporary, so too is this life itself. At the end of days, all who have opened the gift of Jesus Christ and the promise of everlasting life, will open that first gift. The second gift empowers the receiver to know, see and go to the third gift. The gift that never stops giving. The one no eye has seen nor ear has heard or mind can even imagine of the infinite love of God, forever. “God is love”.

I can’t hardly wait to see you all there!! Such a grand and glorious time it will be....infinitely :)

Merry Christmas you all

Much love,

Jim