The Perfect Gift

What makes the perfect gift?

Illustration: On a snowy Christmas Eve a young boy is sitting in front of the fireplace anticipating the warmth that was soon to come, as he watches his father methodically place the firewood and tinder inside the fireplace. The young boy takes a glance just to the left of the fire place where he sees their bright and colorfully adorned Christmas tree, surrounded by mounds of gift wrapped presents. He had long been hoping that he would finally be getting the telescope he laid his eyes on in amazement months ago on a family trip to the mall. Filled with the angst of soon opening up the various presents that had his name written on them, he asks his father, “What was the best gift you got from grandma and grandpa?”

His father pauses in the middle of preparing to set the last log for their fire, and turns to look deep into the glossy eyes of his son who’s excitement about his presents has him grinning from ear to ear. In all sincerity, the Father says, “When I was much older than you as a teenage boy, I always thought it was unfair that grandma and grandpa would never let me go hangout with my classmates after 9pm. And so one Christmas Eve, my friends invited me to join them to go hill sledding late at night, and I was determined to go. So soon after my parents went to sleep, I grabbed the keys to car and snuck out the house. There was ice on the roads and I was not familiar with driving at night in those conditions. And after making it a mile away from home, I lost control and hit another car. No one was hurt but I knew my life would be over at that point. I knew I would be paying for the damage I caused for the next 10 years. The police escorted me home later that night and my parents, still in their robes, were waiting for me on the porch, relieved to see me unscathed. They embraced me, and told me to get some rest. I shamefully walked back to my room, passing by the mound of presents under our tree, realizing all that I had lost in a moment of selfishness. Not only was I certainly going to lose all the Christmas presents that year, more than that I racked up a debt that seemed endless and I certainly lost the trust and respect of my parents. This reality ate away at me all night, I’ve never been able sleep on Christmas Eve, and this was no different. Except instead of the anticipation of the gifts to come, I was in agony over the wrath I knew would come from my decision that night. Tears streamed down my face until the sun rose on Christmas morning, and the door of my room began to open. It was my dad, who came in with the most serious look on his face, and gently made his way to sit at the foot of my bed and he proceeded to tell me this, “Son, I love you, and obviously you know what you did was wrong and there are many things that you rightly deserve for all that you’ve done, but on this Christmas morning we are reminded that none of us have received what we deserve and that the greatest gift came in the form of God putting on human flesh so that He could show his abounding grace towards us. And because he has forgiven me, I can forgive you. Son you are forgiven.” And gently grabbing the young boys shoulder, the father concluded with “That’s the greatest gift I ever received son, it was Grace!”

Matthew 1:18–24 ESV

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,

The Gift of God With Us

God has chose to step into creation to relate to us and to redeem us

The Gift of Grace & Mercy

Romans 6:23 ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.