Presents?

Another newsletter post. It comes after Christmas, but that's ok.

Christmas is coming up quick, and before you know it, it will be Christmas morning, but what’s this whole Christmas thing really all about? Presents of course! That’s why we have a tree, to put presents under. That’s why we have bows and ribbon, to wrap presents in. That’s why we bake cookies, to give Santa, who brings us presents. It’s all about presents, what we are going to get and what we are going to give, right?

When I was a kid we lived close to the ocean, and we would regularly visit the beach. On one such visit, my parents discovered a shirt, buried in the sand and soaked in salty ocean water. It was just my size, and I think, had planes or some sort of vehicle on it. So what did my parents do, what anyone would do! They picked it up, took it home, washed it, and gave it to me as a gift. This shirt became one of my favorite articles of clothing!

Christmas really is about gifts, or rather, a gift. Jesus, all powerful God, became a weak human baby in order to ultimately give us the gift of salvation through Him! He willingly wrapped Himself in the dirty, sandy, salty, wet shirt of humanity, and then He did what we could not, He cleaned it and made it sparklingly pure, and finally, He gave it back to us, a present of salvation. You can deny the present, refuse to take it, say that it’s not good enough, or He’s not good enough, but ultimately it is the greatest gift you will ever receive, and once you accept it you will want to wear it and show it off to everyone around!

So, while you are getting and giving gifts this Christmas make sure that you don’t miss the best gift of all, the one that God has given you!

Merry Christmas!