(Message begins with video: The
Story of Christmas, According to Kids)
I love the imagination of those
children. I love the way they tell the
Christmas story. “I love you, and you’d the best baby I’d ever seen. There.
I said it.” When viewed through
the eyes of a Child, Christmas is still something magical. Christmas is still
a special day filled with joy and love.
A child has not yet become frustrated and distracted by the worries and
concerns of this life. A child is still
excited about the idea of receiving a gift and the thrill of giving a gift as well.
As a boy, my father began a
tradition that I passed along to my children.
Dad would pile my sisters and me
into the car and head off to shop without
mother; we left her at home. That never happened any other day of the year.
We would travel from place to place and
from store to store looking for Christmas gifts; something each of us children
could wrap and give to our mother on Christmas day. I remember keeping these special gifts tucked neatly in my closet, and
trying to keep them a secret. But, as a
kid, I would always let something slip. “Boy
Mom, sure would be nice if you had a warm blanket to snuggle with, huh?”
Hey, this was harder than it
sounds. The excitement would build with
each passing day. By Christmas Eve, I was
about ready to burst. When Christmas
morning finally arrived, I would dance around the room in excitement. Rushing to the tree, I would grab a gift and tell
mom to open this one next. And then,
something strange would happen. Rather
than tear open the present, my mother would go into that “Shake, Rattle, and
Roll” routine. This must be something
adults are supposed to do. I mean, why
not just open it and find out what it is?
But, no, my mother would analyze and scrutinize the gift, trying to figure
just what was inside. Guess what I do
now that I am an adult?
I wonder if God felt the same way
with His Christmas gift? As the day of
Christ’s birth drew near, did He have that same excitement? Did He have trouble keeping the birth of
Jesus a secret? Is this why the Old
Testament prophets constantly wrote about God’s gift? It sure seems that way. It sure seems
God would let something slip; dropping a hint here and there about the Messiah;
“Boy, it sure would be nice for everyone to be forgiven, huh?” Would God have gotten excited by the
waiting? Like I said, it sure seems this
way because there are many places in the Old Testament where it appears God
could hardly contain Himself in anticipation of the gift He would be giving on
Christmas.
Through Isaiah, God says, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders.
These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace. His ever
expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice
from the throne of his ancestor David. The
passionate commitment of the Lord Almighty will guarantee this!” (Isaiah 9:6-7). “The passionate commitment of the Lord,” it says at the end of verse 7. Or, as most translations read, “The zeal
of the Lord.” Zeal is not a word we use very often. Today we use words like passion or enthusiasm. So, to say God’s zeal will make sure this happens is to say He is enthusiastic about giving us this Son. One gets the impression that all Heaven was
about to break loose, bursting at the seams with excitement and anticipation
for the Advent of the Christ-Child.
Isaiah also says, "You will do more than restore the people of Israel to
me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to
the ends of the earth" (Isaiah
49:6).
Daniel comments about this as
well. “As my
vision continued that night, I saw someone who looked like a man coming with
the clouds of heaven. He approached the
Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and royal power
over all the nations of the world, so that
people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed”
(Daniel 7:13-14).
Other Old Testament prophets wrote
about this Child. Micah says, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village in
Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel Israel
Enthusiasm surrounded the birth of
this Son; heaven was filled with passionate excitement, and the people of
Israel were to sing and shout. Zephaniah
says, “Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem Jerusalem will be, "Cheer up, Zion
Now, as the people of Israel heard
these words proclaimed and as they were able to read them, what must have gone
through their mind? As they thought
about this “Gift” from God, were they filled with wonder? They knew the gift was coming. They knew what the gift would be like,
especially if they read the words of these prophets. The Chief Priests and the Scribes knew these
things. When
they were asked by King Herod, they gave a pretty precise answer ("In Bethlehem,’ they
said, ‘for this is what the prophet wrote: 'O Bethlehem of Judah, you are not
just a lowly village in Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the
shepherd for my people Israel” Matthew 2:5-6). But
instead of receiving the gift with gratitude, most if Israel gave Jesus the old
“shake, rattle, and roll.” They tried to
figure Him out rather than receiving the gift of Jesus. People do the same today.
Jesus was a precious gift that was
given to us by God Himself. He selected
the gift that was perfect for all of us.
On Christmas day, God was dancing joyfully in anticipation of us not
only receiving the gift, but opening it
as well. And so, here we stand. We hold the gift of Jesus in our hands and yet,
so many refuse to open it. We examine
Him. We turn Him over and over in our
mind. We spend our time trying to figure
out this gift instead of opening our hearts and accepting why this gift was given in the first place. We miss the joy in the heart of the Giver. We miss the pleasures to be found in the gift Himself.
Instead of trying to figure out the gift,
instead of wondering what it is, why don’t you open your heart and find
out?
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