WHAT DID YOU GET FOR CHRISTMAS?
By Pastor Jim May
It’s Christmas Day, 2005. One more Christmas Eve has passed. Once more the gifts that have been laid under the tree are already opened or will be very shortly. Did you get what you wanted? Did you get what you needed? Did you get what you asked for? Was there a gift that was missing?
Now that most of the giving and receiving of gifts has passed and we can settle down to enjoying the company of family and friends, and especially enjoying those deep fried turkeys, candied yams, potato salad, apple pie and all the other trimmings of a Christmas feast, maybe now we stop to reflect upon what gift was missing in all the hubbub.
Fireworks lit up the night sky as people celebrated and in the spirit of the holidays many people rushed around trying to make time for just one more little get together and one more little “cup of cheer” before the night was done. I call it the “holiday spirit” because it certainly isn’t the true “Spirit of Christmas”. Jesus was nowhere in it.
Finally, when they could go no more, and the kids that were hyped in anticipation began to wear down, it was time to go home and settle down for a good night’s sleep. (Unless they were up all night working the assembly line) Exhausted, they finally crashed into bed, closed their eyes, took a deep breath and tried to remember, “What have I left out? Is there something I forgot? Is there someone I failed to think about? I certainly don’t want to offend anyone. They will never forgive me and I’ll never hear the end of it.”
What gift could they have possibly missed? I know how it is. Some of you spent more than you had planned to, and more than you could really afford to, but there always seems to be just one more person that you needed to add to your list. There’s just one more thing that you forgot to pick up. Some of the famous last words at Christmas are, “just one more little item and I’ll be done.” It’s always those last little items that wind up breaking the bank account and sending the credit card balance to its limits.
But with all of the money that’s been spent trying to show how much we love and care for those around us, and with all the presents that have wrapped and unwrapped, there is no doubt in my mind this morning that most of the world has left out a few very important gifts.
First there is a gift that has been given, but was never accepted. Secondly, there is a gift that should have been given, but wasn’t!
What is that gift that was not accepted?
Isaiah 9:6, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
I’m so glad that we are Christians this morning. I’m so glad that Christmas means more to us than just tinsel, garland, gifts and parties.
Christmas exists because in time eternal, from everlasting to everlasting, there was one pinpoint of time upon which God focused all of His love. Jesus lives in eternity, without time limitations and restrictions. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end. Yet He chose to step into time for one brief moment of eternity, because He loved you and I so much. God could have just let us go. He could have said, “they chose to rebel, I don’t need them, just forget the whole thing.” But because of His great love, His mercy and His grace, God chose not to forget man whom He had created.
Galatians 4:4-5, "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."
The Greatest Gift that mankind could ever receive is the Gift of redemption from sin, purchased by the blood of God’s only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and yet, that is the one gift that most of the world will not accept.
As far as what they gift that most people have failed to give, let me say it this way. In all of their worry and concern about offending someone by not giving them a gift or sending them a Christmas Card, it is amazing that very few people consider that they failed to give the most important gift of all – the gift of their heart to Jesus!
Jesus wants a gift from each of us this morning.
He wants us to give him all of our burdens.
He wants us to give him all of our doubts and fears.
He wants us to give him all of our sin.
He want us to give him praise and glory for what He has done, and because He is God.
He wants us to give him our hearts and lives in service. That’s only reasonable because He bought and paid for your life with His own blood.
The simple points of this message are:
First, make sure that you open and accept the most precious gift you can ever receive, given to you by that baby in the manger, who grew up and died on the cross for you. Open your heart and accept Him as your Savior, and receive the eternal life and blessings that Jesus has in store for you.
Second, make sure that you don’t leave out the most important gift of all that you can give to the One who is the most important person on your list. Give your heart and life to Jesus. That’s what Christmas is really all about.
It’s not just that a baby was born in a manger. Babies have been born in adverse circumstances on countless occasions and not one of them has had the impact of this one baby in Bethlehem. It’s not just that Jesus grew up and found favor with men and with God. There have been a lot of people through history who could be described like that.
It’s because Jesus gave his life on the cross for us all, dying there for your sins and mine, and then rising again the third day so that we could have eternal life. That’s the true gift of Christmas.
Have you accepted that gift? Have you given your heart to Jesus? Don’t allow this Christmas Day to pass without receiving and giving the greatest gifts of all.
Communion Service:
Before we begin the observance of the Lord’s Supper I want us to take the time to reflect upon what Jesus has done for us. God became man so that He could die for you and I.
Let us examine our hearts to be certain that all is right with God. We must confess the sin in our lives and then confess and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He is God, that He died for us and that He is risen again. Finally we must surrender our hearts to Him.
Let us pray
(Call for ushers to pass the hosts)
Over 2000 years ago, a baby was born in a manger – a baby that would change the world. Jesus was born on that day and began his journey to the cross for you and I. On the night before He was crucified, Jesus instituted the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper. It is that ordinance that we will celebrate together at this time.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26, "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. (Prayer)
After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. (Prayer)
For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come."
Closing prayer and song – Joy to the World
