Snubbing God’s Christmas Gift
John 1:11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
Have you ever had to reject someone’s gift? Perhaps you went to a silly gift exchange where people wrapped up crazy gifts to exchange. You open the gift and everyone laughs at you . . . that is great fun, right?
I remember the joy of Christmas shopping for my family as a child. It was difficult. We did not have much more than ten dollars and we had to get a gift for so many folks. Not many items in the mall were less than $10 a piece. A dollar a person is not easy . . . except that the mall had a dollar store – a great help to three young brothers. Once our uncle ended up with a toilet plunger. And that was not at one of those silly gift exchanges – that was the real deal. Some folks just don’t appreciate a practical gift . . . our uncle didn’t mind.
Another special gift from the three boys was when we all chipped in to get my mom a Christmas caroler. She collected these Christmas decoration dolls made to look like a Charles Dickens village. Well, we did not realize she was collecting a special brand of dolls. And they were really expensive – I think $50-80 a piece. No chance from our wallets!
As we were in the mall trying to find something for mom we found this ceramic caroler; we were so excited! With all of us chipping in we could get the little boy! We were excited until we put it up to all the others. Oops. When the cheap ceramic caroler stood next to the other neatly crafted felt carolers with their snazzy suits and painted wooden faces ours looked really, really ugly. I think he was made to look like Oliver Twist whereas the other carolers lived in the good part of London.
But mom loved it. Because we tried to get her something that she really wanted. And that was what was important to her. To this day in my mom’s plethora of Christmas Décor she includes our dirty ceramic little caroler . . . He sticks out quite a bit but I can imagine that he sings even louder than the rest of the crowd.
What would we have done if my mom looked at it and threw it to the ground because it was ugly? We would have been crushed! Or what if she had just set it aside without including it . . . I think we would still have been disappointed. How about if she just did not put it up the next year? Well, I guess we would understand that. But, now that we see it still singing just as clearly today as it did over 20 years ago we realize that mom loved our gift. Even though it was not exactly what was expected and not exactly the right brand.
John 1:18 tells us what Jesus’ contemporaries did in response to God’s gift of His Son - Jesus. He did not meet the expecations of the popular preconceived notions of Messiah. He was the wrong brand. They did not receive Him. Before we get on their case – have you dwelt on His gift this year? Have you spent time with the Giver of the greatest Gift? Don’t snub God’s gift this Christmas. Open up your arms and love Him and His gift. Treasure Him, every day, all day for the next 20+ years and for the rest of your life!
1 John 5:11-12 11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
Have you ever had to reject someone’s gift? Perhaps you went to a silly gift exchange where people wrapped up crazy gifts to exchange. You open the gift and everyone laughs at you . . . that is great fun, right?
I remember the joy of Christmas shopping for my family as a child. It was difficult. We did not have much more than ten dollars and we had to get a gift for so many folks. Not many items in the mall were less than $10 a piece. A dollar a person is not easy . . . except that the mall had a dollar store – a great help to three young brothers. Once our uncle ended up with a toilet plunger. And that was not at one of those silly gift exchanges – that was the real deal. Some folks just don’t appreciate a practical gift . . . our uncle didn’t mind.
Another special gift from the three boys was when we all chipped in to get my mom a Christmas caroler. She collected these Christmas decoration dolls made to look like a Charles Dickens village. Well, we did not realize she was collecting a special brand of dolls. And they were really expensive – I think $50-80 a piece. No chance from our wallets!
As we were in the mall trying to find something for mom we found this ceramic caroler; we were so excited! With all of us chipping in we could get the little boy! We were excited until we put it up to all the others. Oops. When the cheap ceramic caroler stood next to the other neatly crafted felt carolers with their snazzy suits and painted wooden faces ours looked really, really ugly. I think he was made to look like Oliver Twist whereas the other carolers lived in the good part of London.
But mom loved it. Because we tried to get her something that she really wanted. And that was what was important to her. To this day in my mom’s plethora of Christmas Décor she includes our dirty ceramic little caroler . . . He sticks out quite a bit but I can imagine that he sings even louder than the rest of the crowd.
What would we have done if my mom looked at it and threw it to the ground because it was ugly? We would have been crushed! Or what if she had just set it aside without including it . . . I think we would still have been disappointed. How about if she just did not put it up the next year? Well, I guess we would understand that. But, now that we see it still singing just as clearly today as it did over 20 years ago we realize that mom loved our gift. Even though it was not exactly what was expected and not exactly the right brand.
John 1:18 tells us what Jesus’ contemporaries did in response to God’s gift of His Son - Jesus. He did not meet the expecations of the popular preconceived notions of Messiah. He was the wrong brand. They did not receive Him. Before we get on their case – have you dwelt on His gift this year? Have you spent time with the Giver of the greatest Gift? Don’t snub God’s gift this Christmas. Open up your arms and love Him and His gift. Treasure Him, every day, all day for the next 20+ years and for the rest of your life!
1 John 5:11-12 11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
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