It’s Christmas morning, and as we open our eyes from sleep, we groan at the thought.
Not quite the expected beginning, is it?
Still, back to the story. The lights of the tree twinkle through the open doorway, reflected in the family portraits hung in the hallway. We can hear excited voices in a distant room, exclaiming over what each person has received.
What’s in it for us? We were up at two assembling Bobby’s bike, and to wrap Mary’s electric piano? Who could have predicted the nightmare there?
What’s under the tree for us, we wonder. Aunt Shirley’s fruitcake and a tie from Uncle Ralph? Is there anything exciting in there at all, for us, we mean, a gift we actually want to open?
That question shifts our story a little bit, because what gift do we actually want?
A man once quipped, “If it’s something I really want, you can’t afford it, anyway. So, don’t bother. I’ll just get it myself.”
For many of us, there’s a core of truth in that statement.
So, we’re back to our question. What do we really want? What’s the gift that’s so big it overshadows all other gifts, one that is so valuable that no one gathered around the tree in the other room has the funds to buy it, and we can only hope beyond hope that it will someday be ours?
After the two-word verse that tells of Jesus’ sorrow, John 3:16 is the most recognized set of words in the Bible.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Now about that gift…no one in the other room may have the financial acumen to gift us the best gift in the world, but someone does.
Hebrews 9:27 gives us a frightful assessment of our future:
“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”
Well, it would be frightful if not for the following assurance:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Is this hitting home, yet? If we want the best gift around, God has already bought and paid for it. It’s already under the tree. When we open that package, it will be filled with salvation, freedom from the sin that keeps us bound, and eternal life through Christ Jesus, our Risen Lord.
So, throw those sheets back and leap from that bed. Don’t even bother getting dressed. Run to the tree in those pajamas and search for the gift we want to give ourselves.
Let’s run to Jesus.
When we want to give ourselves a really good gift, let’s open up the Jesus package. It’s the best one out there.
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