A Gift Too Wonderful
When the apostle Paul was writing to the church at Corinth about the joy and blessing of giving, he was overwhelmed at the thought of all that God has given us. So instead of trying to put it all in words, he just ended with, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" The New Living Translation says, "Thank God for his Son--a gift too wonderful for words!"
Paul was not the only one who was overwhelmed. On the night Jesus Christ was born, shepherds were out in a field near Bethlehem when an angel appeared to them and told them the good news about His birth. Then "suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven--praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.'" I'm sure the shepherds nearly passed out before they picked themselves up and hurried to Bethlehem to see their newborn Savior, the Messiah, the Lord, lying in a manger.
As you celebrate the birth of Jesus today, we encourage you to remember that the true Christmas spirit is wrapped up in John 3:16-- "God loved us so much that He gave His Son, Jesus, so that we can have eternal life." Beyond the great food, beyond the gifts, beyond the lights and music, God reminds us of the most wonderful gift that has ever been given...this gift is Jesus. The babe in the manger. The Savior of the world, who brought the promise of unconditional love, unending hope, and eternal life to every person who believes in Him.
Jesus is God's perfect, indescribable gift. And the amazing thing is that not only are we personally able to receive this gift that is too wonderful for words, but we are able to share Him with others. More important than making our homes ready, we need to make sure our hearts are ready, both to receive Christ's love and to extend it to others. When we do, our arms can be the arms of Jesus as we reach out to others in love. Our voice can be the voice of Jesus as we share a word of encouragement and hope with others. Our hands can be the hands of Jesus that bring healing and comfort to those in need.
We hope you are as excited as we are about sharing the gift of Jesus with others this Christmas holiday and every day of the year. Take time to rejoice with the angels that the Son of God came to us as a baby. This is what Christmas is all about.
Paul was not the only one who was overwhelmed. On the night Jesus Christ was born, shepherds were out in a field near Bethlehem when an angel appeared to them and told them the good news about His birth. Then "suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven--praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.'" I'm sure the shepherds nearly passed out before they picked themselves up and hurried to Bethlehem to see their newborn Savior, the Messiah, the Lord, lying in a manger.
As you celebrate the birth of Jesus today, we encourage you to remember that the true Christmas spirit is wrapped up in John 3:16-- "God loved us so much that He gave His Son, Jesus, so that we can have eternal life." Beyond the great food, beyond the gifts, beyond the lights and music, God reminds us of the most wonderful gift that has ever been given...this gift is Jesus. The babe in the manger. The Savior of the world, who brought the promise of unconditional love, unending hope, and eternal life to every person who believes in Him.
Jesus is God's perfect, indescribable gift. And the amazing thing is that not only are we personally able to receive this gift that is too wonderful for words, but we are able to share Him with others. More important than making our homes ready, we need to make sure our hearts are ready, both to receive Christ's love and to extend it to others. When we do, our arms can be the arms of Jesus as we reach out to others in love. Our voice can be the voice of Jesus as we share a word of encouragement and hope with others. Our hands can be the hands of Jesus that bring healing and comfort to those in need.
We hope you are as excited as we are about sharing the gift of Jesus with others this Christmas holiday and every day of the year. Take time to rejoice with the angels that the Son of God came to us as a baby. This is what Christmas is all about.