The Gift of Arrival.
Notes
Transcript
“Peace be with you.”
“Let’s Pray. Father, may your will be done. Jesus, may your word be proclaimed. Spirit, may your work be accomplished in us we pray. Amen”
Gift Exchange.
Gift Exchange.
This week I have been asked by many people about the traditions that we celebrate at Christmas. Whether some of them are pagan traditions, whether or not we should have Christmas trees, or whether or not we should exchange gifts since it might take away from the real reason of the season.
There is a lot of religious hoopla (and that is precisely what I think of it) that will strive to rob the joy out of Christmas. I would be the first to tell everyone if such practices at Christmas time are demonic or pagan. But I will be the one voice calling out in the wilderness that as long as it brings life, light, joy, love and used to tether in the gospel of Jesus Christ, I would say that it is more than ok to practice such things. In fact I would encourage you do up Christmas more and more if it means that the joy of Jesus would fill your heart and flood into others around you.
When it comes to Christmas trees, no one needs to look any further than the Bible, particularly the old testment, where trees frequent many pages of the scriptures. You will find that Genesis Abraham built altars to worship God under trees. In the new testament you will find our savior hung on a tree, and from this that tree is present in all his churches as a sign and symbol of the one we worship and serve because of his great sacrifice he committed on that tree.
From what we can tell, the Christmas tree has its origins in Germany. This is why we are given that treasured Christmas song “O Christmas Tree”, or in German “O Tannenbaum.” During the medieval period in Germany, fir trees were decorated with apples and wafers and used in "Paradise plays," a festival about Adam and Eve, to symbolize the tree of knowledge in the garden. These plays generally would be performed on Christmas Eve. At some point, the stage prop made its way into German homes as a symbol to celebrate Christmas. Legend has it that while walking through the forest on a dark Christmas Eve night, Martin Luther, the great reformer, peered into the night sky and admired the host of stars gleaming, the Moon radiating its light, and found himself reflecting on the Christ child bringing light into the world. When he arrived home, he gathered his wife and children, and began putting candles in their Christmas tree to symbolize the light of Christ. As far as historians can tell, this is where decorating the Christmas tree with lights begins.
Hopefully that satisfies any critical or concern of the Christmas tree but what about giving gifts for Christmas? This is the topic of concern I want to show you this morning. We are given in God’s word certain actions that God performs for his people that should be turned into actions that we perform in order to be more like Him. Regardless of where the practice of giving gifts at Christmastime might originate, whether from pagan religious worship practices, or from the actions of the Magi gifting baby Jesus; I want to show you this morning that before all that, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are gift givers and it is solely for this reason that we ought to be gift givers that we might bear their likeness.
The Gift of Arrival.
The Gift of Arrival.
39 Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”
I. Gift from the Father.
I. Gift from the Father.
In order to fully understand what is taking place, we need to know what Mary had just experienced. In the previous section Mary encounters Gabriel who informs her that the Most High will overshadow her and he will be with child and this child will be the son of God. Mary is also told by Gabriel that Elizabeth is with Child as well. This sets things up for why Mary goes to visit her cousin and to be sure no one else is privy to what Mary was told by Gabriel with the exception of Joseph. This is very important to glean the significance of what is about to transpire between Mary visiting Elizabeth, to which we now turn.
The Father gifts the Son:
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
II. Gift from the Son.
II. Gift from the Son.
When Mary greets Elizabeth, the baby (John) leaps for Joy in the womb (will have to have save that little gem of significance for another sermon). We were already told by Luke that the baby Johnny was already filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:15 “15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.”)
Elizabeth, we are then told, upon Mary’s greet and presence (carrying the Son of God in her womb) is filled with the Holy Spirit. This is the gift of the Son to Elizabeth. Jesus gifts Elizabeth the Holy Spirit when He comes to greet her through his mother Mary.
The Son gifts the Holy Spirit to us:
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
III. The Gift of the Spirit.
III. The Gift of the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit gifts Elizabeth with worship, a worship filled with spirit and truth.
Elizabeth testifies to the truth about Mary carrying the Son of God, which she could not have known unless the Holy Spirit revealed it to her, and she worshipped God for the grace and generosity that filled Mary’s womb. Elizabeth essential worships by declaring the truth reveal by the Holy Spirit and praises God for his might deeds. These are the gifts that we receive from the Holy Spirit truth and boldness.
The Spirit equips is with gifts to serve God and live for God:
8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit give gifts:
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit give gifts:
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.
Other gifts from Jesus.
10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) 11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
IV. Gift exchange- A gifting back to God.
IV. Gift exchange- A gifting back to God.
But this gifting doesn’t end with gifts from the Father, Son, and Spirit but a gift exchange takes place when Elizabeth and Mary offer up themselves in a spiritual act of worship through proclamation and song.
When they had received these gifts from God, they reciprocated with the gift of themselves in worship.
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
So as you can see the practice of exchanging gifts dates back to the Advent of Christ. It is a practice that originated by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and continues today when we give gifts at Christmastime.
V. Significance of Gifting
V. Significance of Gifting
Giving Gifts to others, irregardless if they deserve it, images God. God is a gift-giver, so shall we be.
Giving Gifts help point others to the Gospel and the ultimate gift anyone could receive. (Gas station gift)
Worship involves gifting.
