Christmas time for Christians is a time when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle John said he was made flesh and dwelt among us. He, who was given as a gift to us, would eventually go to a cross and pay the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He was born to die. Jesus was the greatest gift ever given to anyone who dwelt upon this earth.
However, Jesus was not a gift for the short term. He did not just make a one-time appearance on earth for 33 years and return to heaven to watch what happens to the human race. Jesus is the gift of all times. Through the Holy Spirit, he continues to live among us today. He is still doing what he did when He visited this world in the flesh. He is still opening blind eyes and still setting the captive free. He is still declaring liberty to all who are in bondage to addiction and depression or anxiety or anything else that keeps a person from living in the joy that He purchased for us on the cross.
This gift also lives inside of us as Christians at Christmas. He takes up residence inside of us. This gift then flows through us so that being full of the presence of Jesus just spills over into our everyday thoughts and actions. The gift is at its best when we go about our daily lives in a way that is perfectly natural, yet purely practical, but extremely spiritual at the same time. The church is called to live this out in our individual lives as well as our joint lives in the body of Christ. The significance of Christmas can be evidenced in this community in so many practical ways. For example, when we motion for the lady with nothing but a loaf of bread to check out ahead of us at the supermarket, especially when our buggy is full; or when the hairdresser makes a mistake on a color job and we choose to bless instead of curse. It may be a kind word spoken to the clerk of the DMV; you know the one who looks like the job is driving her up the wall. When we take time out of our busy schedules to help a teenager out in a difficult situation and point him in the direction of wisdom, we express "the Gift." It happens when we refuse to judge someone, when we hold our tongue and when we decide to be patient just a few minutes more. On a personal level, you know someone who has never received "the Gift." You know the situations that are devoid of grace and where the truth of God needs to be injected into them. Offer "the Gift."
The Gift is also seen from the church family as well. There are people here who have given gift baskets and practical gifts for the needy. There are teenagers who are wrapping people’s gifts for free, Sunday school classes are delivering baskets of goodies to local vendors and their employees, children are lining the hallways with food supplies for the local harvest food bank, over 500 Good Samaritan shoe boxes were sent around the world for needy children with a gospel tract included, Angel Tree ministry volunteers providing toys and gifts to children whose parents are in prison, volunteers made hats for the rescue mission and the list goes on. So, whether through a church outreach, a local organization, or simply seeing the need of someone-take the Gift wherever you go. The world needs "the Gift" you have and in your own unique way you can bring a little Christmas into every day.
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