Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!
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Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!
Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!
Gift giving and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ really began with His birth. I pray that you will note that I did not say that the celebration of Christmas as we see it today began then.
But at the birth of Jesus, there was most certainly some joyful celebration.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Heavenly host - literally an army of angels praising and declaring God’s gracious gift of peace to those who are the objects of His favour/grace.
Those who heard and believed what they were told, understood that it was the Lord had made known to them. The way that they demonstrated that they understood clearly demonstrated by what they did and said. They told, made known what was made known to them.
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.
And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
Mary kept all of these things and treasured them up and pondered them.
For those who who were watching and searching, their searching and listening was rewarded by the Lord. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem some wise men in the east came to Jerusalem, the capital of that region to ask where he who had been born king of thee Jews had been born.
With the insights provided by the chief priests and scribes of the people, the wise men, magi, were given the answer from the OT prophets, Micah & Ezekiel.
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.
Most of us are aware of King Herod’s deceptive malicious directive/request. But God guided those magi/wise by the star that that they had seen in the east, when it rose went before them.
After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Star reappeared - star or 3 conjuctions of Jupiter & Saturn - ?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near:
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the forehead of Moab
and break down all the sons of Sheth.
THREE GIFTS - GOLD, FRANKINCENSE & MYRRH
Gifts fit for a king.
Gifts that would have helped with the escape to Egypt
THE EVENTS OF MATT 2:1-23 OBVIOUSLY OCCUR BETWEENN LK 2:38 & 39.
“One commentator explained that the theme of early rejection so prominent in Matthew was not where Luke focused his attention.” (MacArthur Study Bible)
BUT, I’M GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF. FOR NOW WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST, THE SAVIOUR AND PROVIDER OF FOR THOSE WHO HAVE COME TO TRULY COME TO KNOW HIM.
THAT IS TO BE MADE KNOWN ARE TO MAKE HIM KNOWN.
CHRIST’S BIRTH IS WORTHY OF CELEBRATING AND GIVING HIM GIFTS AND GIVING OTHERS GIFTS IN HIS NAME.
CHRISTMAS 1957
2 or three presents, one of which I hold here - re -wrapped
larger present - 2 part metal airplane - 4 engines with propellers - no batteries, friction motors than propelled the airplane and turned the propellers for a fare while after I let go.
This gift with its shape and size was probably a book. Because I liked to read and was an eager learner, I opened it eagerly - AS I WAS OPENING IT I EVENTUALLY NOTICED A I HAD CUT MY HAND SOMEPLACE ON A SHARP METAL EDGE ON THE AIRPLANE. BUT THEN WHAT WAS A BIT OF BLOOD? IT COULDN’T ALLOWED TO SLOW DOWN OPENING PRESENTS. AS CHILDREN, WE SELDOM RECEIVED OTHER SURPRISES UNLESS WE NEEDED SOMETHING. WE WERE WELL CARED FOR, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING FRIVOLOUS OR SPONTANEOUS.
This last present was a Bible. It was gift specially chosen and deliberately by my dad’s mother. She wanted me to have a Bible.
CONFESSION:
Then and for a number of years this Bible, that had been gratefully received and genuinely appreciated remained a more or less closed little understood book in a drawer or on a shelf
Language that I did not understand.
Our family - God fearing but not God knowing or understanding - sincere but semi rote memorized grace at every meal … “Dear God, thank you for this food. Bless this food to its intended use and us to thy service. Amen”
A country church - nice people, old fashioned, Bible seldom used, referred to and read but from my perspective closed after that and never explained and applied, nothing that I understood, BORING
Eventually stopped going to church or any church until 1 was more than 17 years of age.
THESE PEOPLE CARED BIBLES, READ FROM THEIR BIBLES, TALKED ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANT IN THEIR LIVES.
THE PASTOR OPENED HIS BIBLE; READ FROM; PREACHED FROM; EXPLAINED & APPLIED THE BIBLE
Christmas, greatest gift that God gave - His Son, salvation that was needed because of our sin - all of us sinners, gift of salvation offered to all but only those who believed really received it.
It wasn’t enough to read about it, sing about it and talk about it. Until it was received it, it was not mine.
THE SECOND TIME THAT I/WE WENT BACK, I TOOK MY BIBLE AND WAS ABLE TO FOLLOW ALONG. IT ALL MADE PERFECT SENSE. IT WAS THERE IS BLACK AND WHITE. FOR SURE SOME THE WORDS WERE STILL A BIT ODD BUT THE PASTOR SLOWLY AND CLEARLY EXPLAINED THEM.
Although it was later in June before I received this gift of salvation, that I now knew I so desperately needed, that Christmas, for the first time the words of some of the well known Christmas carols seemed to jump off the page, prodding and convicting me of my sin and the necessity of personal faith in Jesus.
Now in “Hark! the herald angels sing” I heard,
“Hail, the heav’n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, Ris’n with healing in His wings, Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die, Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.”
Those words reminded me of what Jesus said to Nicodemus, the Pharisee and ruler of the Jews who came to Jesus by night.
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
In “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, I not only read and sang, I also now understood, clearly understood verses 3 and 4.
“How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is giv’n! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heav’n. No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive Him, the dear Christ enters in.
“O holy Child of Bethlehem! Descend to us we pray; Cast out our sin and enter in , be born in us today! We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell; O come to us abide with us, our Lord Immanuel.”
With this I heard what John wrote in his account of the Gospel, that at that point was the Gospel according to John
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
If there was any uncertainty in my mind and heart who Jesus was and what I needed to believe and do, the writer of “What Child is this?” left no doubt. This babe is Christ the King!
“Why lied He is such mean estate, where ox and ass are feeding? Good Christian, fear: for sinners here the silent Word is pleading. This, this is Christ, the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing; Haste to bring Him laud, the Babe, the Son of Mary!”
So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh, come, peasant, king to own Him, the King of Kings salvation bring; Let loving hearts enthrone Him. This, this is Christ, the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing; Haste, haste to bring Him laud, the Babe, the Son of Mary!”
In this Christmas carol, I again heard to good news of Christmas.
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
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.”
Now the words of “Joy, to the world!” that Isaac Watts did not initially consider a Christmas song, also made so much more sense.
“Joy the world! the Lord has come; Let earth receive her King; Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room, And heav’n and nature sing,
Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns; Let men their songs employ; while floods, rocks, hills and plains repeat the sounding joy,
No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found,
He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love.”
Again, I heard the word of the angel,
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Coming back to where we began, the same veins of truth run through the giving of gifts, the Gospel and the message of Christmas.
Opening and acknowledging a gift is not the same as receiving that gift and making your own.
Hearing and verbalizing Christmas carols and the Biblical Christmas account of Christ’s birth does not mean that we have allowed to become imbedded in our hearts and lives to the end that we live it and tell others.
And lastly, if the true message of Christmas and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is well pleased is understood for all that it means:
We will live Christmas every day of the year
With grace and truth, we will gently remind all of God’s gracious gift of salvation that is freely offered to all who believe.
The Apostle Paul summarized it well.
Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!