One of the things that I love most about Christmas is the pure joy and excitement my soon-to-be six-year-old daughter Amanda shows when she sees her gifts under the tree and begins opening them. For us parents, the stress and aggravation of fighting crowds and waiting in line to buy gifts can easily diminish our joy and excitement.
To see pure joy and excitement in receiving a gift, we need look no further than the very first and greatest Christmas gift. The angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds and announced the birth of Jesus: Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11). Then a host of angels appeared praising God (v.13) prompting the shepherds to joyfully hurry off and see this treasured gift and tell everyone that they had seen the Messiah (v. 15-18). A gift that John the Baptist proclaimed was the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)
Jesus is the greatest gift--a gift from God the Father to give us eternal life. He is truly a gift because He is given freely out of God's love for us. He is given to us even though we don't deserve Him and He is given to us without a thought of what we can give in return. Jesus is the perfect gift--everlasting, always with us, without flaw or imperfection and always loving us and sustaining us. Jesus is the gift for everyone as Luke 2:11 reminds us that He is a Savior born unto each of us. Jesus is unlike any other gift in that we can share Him with others and still keep Him ourselves.
Let us remember to enjoy the greatest gift ever and have a Merry Christmas!
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