An old coffee commercial shows a man returning to his home early in the morning right before Christmas. His younger sister puts a big bow on him and declares, “YOU ARE MY GIFT!” This is a wonderful reminder of the greatest gift that God has given to us: JESUS CHRIST. What would you think if you saw a gift under your Christmas tree that was wrapped in some old torn paper? The ultimate gift of eternal life given through the Son of God came in the simplest and humblest of wrappings in a lowly manger. At Christmas we give gifts to those who are kind to us and who care for us such as family and friends. We don’t normally give gifts to people who have been ugly to us, or have slandered our name, yet God gave us His gift when we were enemies. He didn’t give us this gift because we deserve it. In fact, it was just the opposite. Usually when you want to give someone a gift you start thinking about it ahead of time and planning for it. God’s gift of eternal life was planned long before we were born, even before creation (Eph 1:3-7, 11).
God’s gift of Jesus Christ is without a doubt the most well thought out, planned, thoughtful, loving and sacrificial gift that could have been given. All we see around us and possess will one day pass away, and yet we put so much stock in it. Real life is what happens after this life is over. Life is knowing and belonging to the God who made us and who gave us the greatest gift we will ever receive. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Cor 10:15)