Christmas Gifts
Like many other people, Christmas has been in my thoughts of late. It's hard to escape with the barrage of advertising on the radio and television and in the increased poundage of flyers in our mailbox. The advertisers work hard on convincing us to spend more and more.
Guilt and pressure seem to be the most effective means of selling this stuff. It must work because they spend a fortune doing it and if it didn't work they'd advertise in some other fashion.
If you really love someone you'll buy them this or that. To be really popular buy them this other thing. Expensive electronics, high end jewelry and more seem to top the lists. I guess I don't love people much because frankly I don't have the money to buy them everything on the must have list.
Giving is a part of Christmas. Mary gave her womb, Joseph gave his wife and his reputation, God gave us Jesus, the Magi gave gifts. Of course all of that took place over an extended period of time and probably not on December 25, but you get the idea.
Joseph and Mary had their reputation besmirched for the rest of their lives as many would never believe that the child was Holy Spirit conceived. Mary allowed the conception and carried Jesus for nine months and cared for him right up to his death and beyond. There was likely a two year gap (or so) between when the Magi saw the star and arrived to give gifts to the baby. God's gift of Jesus had eternal consequences.
All those gifts were extravagant, yet none was coerced or brought on by guilt or pressure. All were given willingly. That's so different that we see today.
This morning as we read part of Luke's and Matthew's Advent accounts, look for the gifts and ponder the marvel of His birth.
Luke 2:1-21 NIV
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
She wrapped him in clothes and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.
Matthew 2:1-12NIV
MT 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: " `But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' "
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Until next time praise God for the gift of His Son.
Kevin
Like many other people, Christmas has been in my thoughts of late. It's hard to escape with the barrage of advertising on the radio and television and in the increased poundage of flyers in our mailbox. The advertisers work hard on convincing us to spend more and more.
Guilt and pressure seem to be the most effective means of selling this stuff. It must work because they spend a fortune doing it and if it didn't work they'd advertise in some other fashion.
If you really love someone you'll buy them this or that. To be really popular buy them this other thing. Expensive electronics, high end jewelry and more seem to top the lists. I guess I don't love people much because frankly I don't have the money to buy them everything on the must have list.
Giving is a part of Christmas. Mary gave her womb, Joseph gave his wife and his reputation, God gave us Jesus, the Magi gave gifts. Of course all of that took place over an extended period of time and probably not on December 25, but you get the idea.
Joseph and Mary had their reputation besmirched for the rest of their lives as many would never believe that the child was Holy Spirit conceived. Mary allowed the conception and carried Jesus for nine months and cared for him right up to his death and beyond. There was likely a two year gap (or so) between when the Magi saw the star and arrived to give gifts to the baby. God's gift of Jesus had eternal consequences.
All those gifts were extravagant, yet none was coerced or brought on by guilt or pressure. All were given willingly. That's so different that we see today.
This morning as we read part of Luke's and Matthew's Advent accounts, look for the gifts and ponder the marvel of His birth.
Luke 2:1-21 NIV
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
She wrapped him in clothes and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.
Matthew 2:1-12NIV
MT 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: " `But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' "
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Until next time praise God for the gift of His Son.
Kevin
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