One of our getaways is St. Louis. Lara & I enjoy shooting down there for a little BBQ, some shopping, and even an occasional Krispy Kreme donut! This past week, while Lara stepped into a Marshalls, I walked into one of those HH Gregg stores. Within minutes, I found myself standing in front of this $7000 TV that was showing spectacular images. And by spectacular, I mean hypnotic! It threw me into a trance!
Now, I was just milling around, passing the time. I had no intention of buying anything. But the salesman wouldn't believe me! Boy, he launched into this spiel about the TV's 4000k resolution, concave design, 3D & 4D capabilities. And did I mention the Atlas Surround Sound System? Brett sure was excited! He was convinced that I couldn't live without that $7000 TV; I was convinced Lara wouldn't let me live if I tried!
That TV would make a pretty awesome gift (for me)! When I was younger, I worked in an electronics store like HH Gregg selling TVs, sound systems, and computers. The cheapest quality, lowest resolution TV today is 100x times better than the highest end TV sitting on the shelf just a few decades ago! It's amazing to think about.
Poor Lara. I'm terrible at selecting the perfect gift. When I walk into a women's store, and see the endless racks of clothing, my brain shuts down. If it's not on a mannequin, it's not getting purchased. The way I shop is I follow Lara around with my cellphone and snap pictures of whatever she shows me. Then I race back into the store before I forget where it's all at! Sometimes I call Lara's mother to plead for help!
You know, gift giving is one of the oldest traditions there is. People have been giving gifts since the dawn of time. The right kind of gift shows your love and affection. But the wrong kind of gift can get you thrown into the dog house! I've been in the dog house a few times. The dogs like it. But that perfect gift... man... it conveys our favor, our commitment, our love to someone special.
Such was Mary's pleasure, as she realized she was giving birth to the Son of God. She's totally mystified, and just marvels at the goodness of God. In Luke 1:46-48 she sings, "My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed." Mindful. What a great word. Gifts show how much we value someone.
As the miraculous circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus unfold--the manger, the shepherds, the angels singing--Luke 2:19 says, "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:20, describes how even "the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all things they had heard/seen..."
A $7000, 4000 pixel television, might mystify us for a while, but here God was giving a gift that would captivate the whole world--the gift of his One/Only Son! I want to talk about this ritual of gift-giving, and how God uses the gift of his Son to evoke a sense of wonder and give us hope.
First, the matter of how the Gift is Chosen.
At Christmas, it's exciting to discover what someone has chosen for us! But it can also be disappointing. Sometimes a gift seems barely like an afterthought. A while back, days before her birthday, Lara and I were driving through the Target parking lot, and she asked if I'd remembered to get her something. Like I would ever forget! Anyway, pretending I'd forgotten, I handed her our credit card and said, "Why don't you go on in and get yourself something nice." She wasn't too impressed!
We're not an afterthought for God. And neither was Lara! Everything God has done in Christ was perfectly chosen, and perfectly planned. One of the common designations for Jesus in the Old Testament is "chosen one." For example, in Isaiah 42:1, God says of Jesus, "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight..." Isaiah prophesied about Jesus hundreds and hundreds of years before 1st Christmas! God had at least chosen Jesus by then.
But actually Jesus was chosen much earlier. Consider what 1 Peter 1:18-20 says, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world..."
When was Christ chosen? We choose our gifts months, weeks, maybe days before Christmas. If you're really disciplined, maybe you work a year ahead of time. But God chose Christ before the creation of the world. This means that God created the world (and humankind) fully knowing AND already having chosen... that his One and Only Son would come die.
When you are out shopping, choosing that perfect gift, take a few moments to reflect on the manner in which God chose Christ. Jesus was God's gift to us, our only hope, from all eternity.
Second, the matter of how the Gift is Wrapped.
How many of you love wrapping gifts? How many of you are actually good at it? What's your phone number, I'm putting you on speed dial! My brother Mike is the best gift-wrapper around. He is a CADD engineer. CADD stands for computer aided drafting. Lara & I think he uses software to calculate how to perfectly wrap gifts. The wrapping is so perfect you don't want to open the gift!
A video that's gotten millions of hits in the past week demonstrates how to wrap any gift in twelve seconds. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2871624/Video-reveals-wrap-Christmas-gifts-just-12-SECONDS.html
I haven't had time, but I thought of posting a video on how to wrap a gift in under five seconds. Thank you gift bags!
You know, some gifts are just hard to wrap. For God, the dilemma was how to wrap divinity in flesh. But nothing is impossible for God. The Mystery of the Gospel is outlined in John 1:1-5, 14: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. . . [and] The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
Philippians 2:5-8 says, "Jesus... being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being found in the appearance as a man, he humbled himself..."
Jesus is the gift of God, divinity wrapped in flesh. Colossians 2:9, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form." 1 Timothy 3:16 says, "Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory."
When you're choosing your gifts, remember how God chose Christ. When you're wrapping your gifts, consider how God wrapped (clothed himself) in humanity. The whole ritual of gift giving at Christmas is one grand object lesson of the gospel.
Third, the matter of how the Gift is Unveiled.
Unwrapping a gift is always the thrill, right? When it comes to the things of God, Jesus says in Luke 8:17, "There is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed; and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open." At Christmas, every gift under the tree gets opened, right?
I want you to think for a moment about the utter most extremes of Jesus' earthly life. As an infant, Jesus was wrapped in cloth, by his mother, and tenderly laid in a wooden manger. As a man, Jesus was violently stripped of all dignity, his cloth garment divided among the soldiers, Jesus shamed before his mother and all the world, and violently crucified on that old, rugged cross. Just what exactly was God revealing to us, through the extremes of Christmas and Good Friday?
The Apostle Paul uses the word "mystery" to describe the gospel. Everyone likes a good mystery. Just what was God doing, laying his son in a manger, sending his son to the cross? What does it all mean? The answer is what happened three days later, when God raised Jesus from the grave.
First, consider Ephesians 3:2-6, where Paul says, "Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been reveal by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise of Christ Jesus."
Whatever this mystery, whatever this gospel, whatever this promise, its available to all people whether Jew or Gentile. Everyone potentially benefits.
Second, consider Titus 1:2-3 which speaks of the "hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light..."
The promise is that in Jesus we have the hope of eternal life. Hope is the gift, and its available to all who believe in Jesus!
Finally, consider Colossians 1:25-29, where Paul describes "the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord's people [the church]. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
When your unwrapping gifts at Christmas, remember the greatest gift ever given. No gift under your tree can fill you with eternal hope; only the one who died upon a tree can fill you with eternal hope. "For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Last, the matter of how the Gift is enjoyed.
What do we do with God's gift, this hope in Christ Jesus? The best way to enjoy a gift is to share a gift. I saw a story on ABC news. In Kansas city, officers have been pulling motorists over. Every year an anonymous business man has handed out 100,000k in cash to strangers. But this year he's chose a different tactic, giving officers stacks of $100 bills to give to anyone they thought needed it.
One driver, Jessica Rodriguez, was moved to tears. "How you doing, m'am?" the deputy asked her after pulling her over. "I'm good until you pulled me over," she sternly answered. "Okay, well, on behalf of Secret Santa, he wants you to have this, OK?" the deputy said. The stunned mother of three expressed her gratitude toward the officer, telling him that she "wasn't going to be able to get my kids anything" for Christmas. "Well, I hope you may be able to get your kids something with it," he replied.
The "Secret Santa" behind the gifts told the CBS Evening News that he wants officers to get "joy" out of being the bearers of good news for a change. "You know, as tough as they are they have hearts that are bigger than the world," he said.
Story: Secret Santa giving officers $100 bills. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/12/13/mystery-man-has-kansas-city-area-police-pulling-over-drivers-that-arent-breaking-the-law/
I wonder if like those officers, God wants us to get joy out of being the bearers of good news for a change. As people redeemed by Christ, we ought to have the biggest hearts in the world because of what Christ has done for us. One of the best ways of enjoying our hope is by sharing our hope with others!
In 1 Corinthians 2:7 Paul says, "We declare God's wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden that God destined for our glory before time began."
Colossians 4:2-7 gives great advice for us this Christmas: "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."