Christmas Devotion: The Gift - Ephesians 1:7-8

Ephesians 1:7 -8         In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

Every year, I see people putting themselves under a lot of pressure trying to make everything perfect for Christmas. I watch others lavish their loved ones with precious gifts and expensive presents. I look at parents who are desperately trying to find the right gifts for their children, as well as hoping that in the last week before Christmas, their children won’t suddenly change their minds. It’s all done with a great deal of affection and it’s just part of being human, of showing our love to those nearest and dearest in our hearts.

In the midst of all this hurrying and scurrying, there’s one lavish gift that is available for each of us. It doesn’t come free, because it was paid for with the life-blood of a holy young man. It can’t be purchased in stores, because it comes straight from heaven. And it cannot be re-used or given away once it is received, because it is an everlasting gift of God’s infinite love.

The old word associated with this lavish gift is ‘Redemption,’ which doesn’t have a lot of meaning in a post-modern world. Redemption is an essential part of a process which means that those who receive this gift are brought back into God’s favor, their mistakes are deleted, and their lives are re-started. In the entire history of the world and the personal circumstances of every single human being, it’s the most important gift ever to be offered and the greatest blessing that people can ever to receive.

It comes wrapped in a manger and is built upon a cross. It comes with instructions and ends with praise. It has humble beginnings and promises a glorious end. This lavish gift is, of course, Jesus Christ, the Holy Son of God, the Savior of our souls, the Lord of all Creation, and the King of kings. There’s no greater gift in life because what He offers is a greater life than we could ever know on Earth. And He’s the Gift that keeps on giving, for every day someone somewhere in the world accepts and receives this amazing bounty of God’s blessing.

May you know this lavish gift in your life, and may all of your loved ones receive Him, too.

Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask a question about today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is John’s latest Nativity drawing. It’s called “The Outsiders.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link:

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3763/11411785985_b7c36a34dd_b.jpg

Christmas Eve Homily

I can remember it as if it were yesterday. It was Christmas Eve, 1968 and I was an eleven year old boy – yes, I am 51 – and I was captivated by the Apollo 8 team, whose dangerous and courageous mission was to orbit the moon in what was really a tin can in space. I can remember the daily reports about the mission, which usually coincided around dinner time in Scotland.

That evening, there was a special report late at night because the astronauts were making a special broadcast. Although I didn’t get to see it until the next day, it was in all the news. The Apollo 8 astronauts had made Christmas that year very special because each of them read from the Bible.

William Anders began the broadcast with a special introduction:

"We are now approaching lunar sunrise and, for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you.

He then started to read from the first chapter of the Book of Genesis: In the beginning, God made the heavens and the earth….

Jim Lovell took over and read more verse from the first chapter, and then Frank Borman quoted some more of Genesis and finished the broadcast with this message:

And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas – and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth."

It was an astonishing moment in history and it had a profound affect on me. It made me link God with the creation of the universe and I have never forgotten the wonder of it all.

Days later, Madelyn Murray O'Hair, an atheist, responded by suing the United States government, alleging violations of the First Amendment. The suit was dismissed by the Supreme Court due to lack of jurisdiction, after all, how could the Supreme Justices enforce anything that took place off the planet?

Less than a year later, on the historic Apollo 11 mission, Buzz Aldrin took communion on the lunar surface shortly after landing. He kept his actions secret for many years, but it was also an amazing event. It was the first time that a Christian had ever taken communion on the surface of another world.

Every Christmas, the wonder of what God did way back 2000 years ago, always hits me on Christmas Eve. In all of the billions of galaxies that this universe contains, why did He choose this one? Amongst the zillions of stars, why did He choose ours? And amongst the planets, why did He choose ours upon which to bestow life?

And then, amongst all of the great empires, kingdom, and nations on earth, why did God choose one of its smallest ones, Judea, to bring His Son into the world. And out of all of the cities and towns of that small kingdom, why was little insignificant Bethlehem chosen as the birthplace of the Messiah? And why not in the house of a rich, powerful, and successful person? Why does God allow His Son to be born and laid to rest in the feeding trough of a stable?

Because that’s how God, great and almighty, omnipotent and eternal, works.

God does what He wills, in ways and for reasons that remain a mystery to us. He makes promises and keeps them, so that we will benefit from His goodness, mercy, and grace.

He promises never again to destroy the world, even though the wickedness of humanity deserves it.

He promises to heal us, revive us, and restore us to His favor, even although we have deeply offended Him.

He promises to forgive us of our sins, our past mistakes, and deepest regrets, and make our contaminated souls clean before His eyes.

He promises to keep us when we listen to His Son, and never lose us.

He promises to bring His Son, Jesus, back into our world, so that we may seek His Coming and know that we are never alone.

And His promises begin with God’s choice to bring His Holy Son into the world, in a stable, in a tiny town, in a small kingdom, on a tiny planet orbiting a weak yellow sun, on the edge of the Milky Way, amongst gazillions of galaxies, in this almighty universe, which is contained and sustained by God’s thoughts alone.

Let us pray:
Lord God, You have called all of us to be here because You want us to know that we are never alone in the universe. You want us to experience the freedom that faith brings when we give our hearts and lives to Jesus. Liberate us from the past; rejoice with us at this present time, and prepare us for that wonderful day when Christ shall return to this planet, to claim and keep us for His own. Both now and forever. Amen.