The Gift - God's Love for All

“No one has ever become poor by giving.” Anne Frank

 My nephew, Bryce Pegram, and his wife, Chelsea, recently had a daughter and named her after my Mom, Dorothy, (they’re calling her “Dottie”). I teased Chelsea that Dottie will need to learn shorthand someday. 

  My Mom was the best secret Santa. Maybe it was because she had five children but Mom knew how to keep Christmas under wraps. As a kid, it drove me crazy. Like most kids, I was brimming with curiosity, especially about what I was getting for Christmas. My Mom wrote all of her Christmas lists in shorthand. Your name would be at the top of a list and then there were these notes of what looked like chicken scratch. It was impossible to decipher. 

  When she would run errands, there would be a great search of the house for where she might have hidden my presents. I never did find them. Once a present was under the tree, I’d try to carefully pull back the tape and peek. She was great at wrapping gifts too and I never did succeed.

  So what’s the weirdest Christmas gift that you’ve ever received? I’ve had a few over the years. Jane won’t let me share any personal ones for fear that the guilty party might read my blog. But I’m so thankful that in my 40 years of ministry, no one has even given me praying hands.

  Pastors though do periodically receive some “interesting” Christmas gifts. One friend in the ministry received “Jesus Bandages.” Another was given a large bottle of Tequila. One received a Steak and Shake gift card with $7.33 left on it. But that was surpassed by the pastor who received a gift card to a local restaurant…and there was no money on the card! One received a heavy blanket and a pillow from the local hospital. Another one got a Jesus-head candle! The wick was in the top of his head! My favorite though was the pastor who was given a bobblehead of himself. (I think he probably re-gifted it to his mother-in-law).

  Have you ever stressed over finding the perfect present for someone? It’s sometimes difficult to make that decision. Do I get them something they need or want? Do I give them clothes or money? Will they like it? Will they ever wear it? Will they return it? Will they regift it to someone else? Will I see it in next year’s white elephant gift exchange?

  Today we’re starting a new series, Unwrapping the Gifts of Christmas. It’s about the gifts that God has given us.

  So what is it that you want for Christmas this year? Maybe a better question is, what is it you want from Christmas? Or maybe even better, what do you need from Christmas this year? It’s easy to want things that aren’t the best or even good for us.

  God’s focus isn’t on what we want, it’s on what we need. During this season, let’s prepare ourselves for what God has to offer us this Christmas. God has some wonderful gifts if we’ll open our lives to what He has for us.

  The greatest gift is a growing understanding that we can have of God because He came to us in the form of a baby named Jesus. The Incarnation changed everything about how so many thought of God in the Old Testament. Christmas still changes everything. And God’s Christmas gifts are so different from ours. Think about it…

  God’s Christmas gifts are just what we need. All of us from time to time long for things that our Heavenly Father knows isn’t good for us. Like a parent who limits a child’s candy intake, God sometimes doesn’t give us what we think we need.

  For example, most of us think that we need more money. Most of us, even those who never buy a ticket, have thought longingly about what we’d do with all of that money if we won the lottery. Google lottery winners and you’ll find that many of them wished that they’d never won because it ruined their lives. Some even tried to return the money. Yet, God’s gifts to us are always what we need, even if they’re not perhaps what we want.

  God’s Christmas gifts are just the right size. (Just a hint for any husbands, if you’re buying clothes for your wife, it’s better to err on the side of being a little small). God though always gets us the right size. Wise is the prayer of Agur in Proverbs 30:8-9: “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” God’s gifts are always just right because He knows exactly what will fit our lives.  

  God’s Christmas gifts don’t need a warranty. Other than a car, I rarely ever purchase an extended warranty. God’s gifts never need one. They’re not just timeless, they’re everlasting with eternal benefits.

  One of the problems we all struggle with is that we are far too “this world” in our thinking. We’re like a child obsessed with a Happy Meal toy but missing out on what has true lasting value. One day all the material things that we cherish in this world will be gone…forever. The only thing that we can take with us to heaven is those we’ve led to the Lord. That’s why it’s critical that we share and live out the gospel with our families. All of those things this temporary world tells us are critical will one day be gone. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ lasts forever.

  God’s Christmas gifts never need to be returned. The day after Christmas there will be a long line of shoppers returning gifts that are either broken, the wrong size, or unwanted. Yet, once we’ve accepted God’s gifts to us, we never want to return them – they’re life-changing. They make a difference, not just in this world, but in eternity.

  God’s Christmas gifts are forever. Have you ever noticed when you’re up high, things appear smaller? One nervous airplane passenger finally got up enough courage to glance out the window. He said to the person next to him, “It’s true what they say, people do look like ants from up here.” His seatmate said, “Those are ants…we haven’t taken off yet!”

  Things look a lot different when you’re up high. When you look at our world from outer space, the earth’s surface appears completely smooth. We know there are deep valleys and high mountains, but when you’re back away a few thousand miles, it appears as smooth as a billiard ball. Seeing life from God’s perspective gives His gifts to us true value. Yet, we’ll miss it if we fail to look down at this world from a higher perspective!

  My friend, the best gifts you and I will ever receive are God’s Christmas gifts. They’re life-changing. They’re eternally transforming. As we work through this series, will you choose to let them change you?

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

 

 

Choosing a Better Gift

“Christmas means ‘giving,’ and the gift without the giver is bare. 

Give of yourselves; give of your substance; give of your heart and mind.”  Gordon B. Hinckley

 Recently, I was surprised to learn that not only does Elon Musk own Tesla and now Twitter but he even sells perfume…and not just any perfume. Elon Musk sells “Burnt Hair Perfume"; it’s advertised as the “essence of repugnant desire.” No, this is not a gag gift or a White Elephant Gift. The perfume is meant to smell like your head is on fire. But if you want to buy a bottle for your one true love, you’ll have to wait until next Christmas. 30,000 bottles, which sold at $100 a pop, were completely sold out. 

  Are you like me? Do you struggle each Christmas to find just the right gifts for those you love? Did you venture out on Black Friday to find this year’s hot gift, hoping that it was still in stock?

  There are some Christmas gifts that everyone needs and you don’t have to shop for them. They’re so basic and so longed for, yet too often overlooked. Here are some “hot gifts” that are always needed.

  Give grace. Christmas tends to bring out our inner Hallmark, yet it’s a sin-filled world where lots of bad stuff happens. To add to that many of us come from broken families or there’s fragmentation in our current one. For many, it’s “The Nightmare before Christmas.” Our parents may be divorced or not getting along. Our children, even adult ones, are divided. Perhaps a loved one died this past year leaving an empty space at the table. Many have been invited to a dysfunctional family situation to “celebrate.” All the gifts in the world won’t put a nice bow on that trainwreck.  

  Yet, the real Christmas is not about what is happening but because of what has happened. That first Christmas was far from perfect. Humanly speaking, it was a disaster. Mary and Joseph are away from home because the government wanted more tax money. Then, Bethlehem was more crowded than a mall on Christmas Eve. The only place where Mary could give birth to her baby was a dirty stable.

  But that happening changed everything. It’s why the angels announced to some poor shepherds that there was “peace on earth” because the Prince of Peace had come. Life on this messed up world would never be the same.

  This year instead of being disappointed because your family looks more like the McCallisters’ from Home Alone fame than Tiny Tim’s, or because of irreconcilable differences the family won’t be together, or because of the economy there are fewer gifts and a smaller meal, remember that’s not what Christmas is about. It’s not about what’s happening. Christmas is about what happened 2,000 years ago when the promised Messiah came.

  Give love. We, humans, tend to give what we’re given. If we don’t receive love, we often don’t give it. We treat others the way we’re treated.

  Yet, if you’ve experienced God’s love, if you’ve trusted Christ as your Savior, then you’ve personally experienced undeserved love. As the hymn goes: “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned, unclean.” Every believer who looks in the mirror has that same question – How could Jesus love me? We know ourselves. We know how unworthy we are. We know how unworthy we are of His sacrifice on the cross for us. But still He came and still He went to the cross. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” As God has given love to us, we are to give love to others…no strings attached.

  We are to love our families. It doesn’t matter if you had the worst father and mother of all time – you’re still to love them. Even if your spouse mistreats you, you’re still to love them. That sibling who’s been cruel and mean to you as long as you can remember…yes, you’re to love them, too.  

  We are to love our spiritual family. It doesn’t matter if someone is Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, Non-Denominational, or Catholic – if they’ve committed their lives to Christ and are trusting Him as the only way to heaven (John 14:6), they’re brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to love them. There is no place for a “holy war” in God’s family. It doesn’t matter if they’re from a different ethnic group or of a different political persuasion. Economically, we may have nothing in common. None of that matters because it’s level ground at the foot of the cross.

  In what was known as the “love feast” in the church at Corinth, there were those from every tribe and nation. Slaves and masters, Jews and Gentiles ate side by side. The Bible says that if we say we love God and don’t love our brother or sister, then we’re liars (1 John 4:20-21). You simply can’t love God and not love your brothers and sisters in Christ.

  We are to love our enemies. We are only asked to do what our Lord did when He prayed, “Father forgive them” from the cross. Over a dozen times the Bible commands us to love our enemies.

  The first fruit of the Spirit is love. God intends for us to be channels of His love even to those who hate us. He never promised it would be easy. He did though promise us grace to obey His command and love them.

  In his book How Small a Whisper, Roger Carswell relates an amazing story of a Christian family's response to tragedy. In May 1987, 39 American seamen were killed in the Persian Gulf when an Iraqi pilot hit their ship, the USS Stark, with a missile. Newspapers carried a picture of the son of one of these seamen, a shy five-year-old boy, John Kiser. He was standing with his hand on his heart as his father's coffin was loaded onto a plane to take him back to the U.S.A.

  His mother said, “I don't have to mourn or wear black, because I know my husband is in heaven. I am happy, because I know he is better off."

  Later on, she and young John sent a letter and an Arabic New Testament to the pilot of the Iraqi plane, addressed to: “The man who attacked the Stark, Dad's ship, in the hope that it will show that even the son and the wife do not hold any grudge and are at the same time praying for the one who took the life of our father.” How is such love possible? It’s from the God of love, the One who sent His Son as the first Christmas gift.

  I wouldn’t buy Burnt Hair perfume, yet we can give gifts that everyone wants and needs. Let’s give grace and let’s give love! It’s because of what has happened that God has called us to do for others what He did for us. 

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

The Greatest Christmas Gifts

“The greatest Christmas gifts aren’t wrapped in paper.”

  Do you remember Christmas gifts that you received as a child? Was there that “one gift” you just had to have? One Christmas gift that sticks out in the corridors of my mind was a Hot Wheels set I received one year. I must have been 8 or 9 yet I still remember even that day, after playing with it for a bit – feeling disappointed. I think I played with it a few times over the course of the next few weeks and then it was retired to some shelf or box in our basement, rarely, if ever to appear again.

  Are other Christmas gifts all that different than my Hot Wheels set? Some of the “must have” gifts for women this year are: Tiffany Signature Pearl Earrings, A Vitamix Ascent Blender, Personalized Luggage, An Audible Subscription, A Monogrammed Cashmere Throw. For men it’s…a Casper Nap Pillow, Temperature Control Ceramic Mug, Square Portable Bluetooth Speaker, Touchscreen Italian Leather Driving Gloves or The Modern Snap Backpack. Then, commercials on TV tell us that the “must have” gifts are traveling or a cruise, or jewelry, a new car or even the latest perfume.

  If we’re honest, we’ll admit that none of those things bring fulfillment. They’re nice for a moment, but not a very long one. The gifts with true meaning and significance, money can’t buy because they’re priceless! But Jesus wants to give us gifts that bring true meaning and fulfillment.

  Jesus came to give us the gift of peace. It’s what the angels said that first Christmas Eve: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom [God] is pleased!” Outside of the U.N. there’s a renowned bronze sculpture “Let Us Beat Our Swords into Ploughshares,” by Soviet artist, Evgeny Vuchetich, and presented to the U.N. on December 4, 1959. In nearly 75 years, the U.N. is no closer to bringing about world peace than it was on the day it was born. There’s little peace in our own country. Crime is a major concern. The workplace is not a place of peace with conflict between management and labor, or inner office squabbles. For many, the home is not a place of peace. 2 million couples have used a lethal weapon on their spouses in their lifetimes. Another 4 million wives are beaten by their husbands each year. Some 3 million children are beaten, maimed or murdered annually in our country. While the majority are not places of violence, yet what most marriages and families have is far from peace. More often, it’s a cold war. Many seek to find peace in workaholism or some other addiction. Anything to quell the volcano in their own souls. There’s no peace “out there,” which is why the Prince of Peace came to bring us peace. It’s only in a relationship with Him that we have what the world longs for – peace. Longfellow, in his poem, Christmas Bells, later turned into one of our favorite Christmas Carols caught the picture of our true source of the gift of peace as he penned:

“Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

  Jesus came to give us the gift of joy. “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people’.” How many do you know that have joy? Do you have joy? C.S. Lewis called joy, “The serious business of Heaven.” Joy is the difference between merely existing and truly living. The presence of joy upgrades survival to being. I’m not sure because I love so many of them, but I think that my favorite Christmas carol is “Joy to the World.” It’s just brimming over with joy! Remember those first words: “Joy to the world, the Lord is Come! Let earth receive her King!” Yet, until that only Child of God…the One who came from eternity into time…that Child of God Who grew up and died for you…until He comes into your life, you won’t know joy. It won’t be “Joy to the world the Lord is come…to ME.” Joy is directly connected to Jesus. It comes from inviting the Christ of Christmas into your life. It begins when you ask Him to forgive you of all your sin that He died to pay for on the cross for you. Do you want joy? Decide today to follow Him as your Savior and Lord. Joy comes when He rules MY world.

  Jesus came to give us the gift of hope. During World War II, six pilots took off from an aircraft carrier in the North Atlantic to look for enemy submarines. While gone, the captain of the carrier was forced to issue a blackout alarm. The ship went totally dark. When the pilots tried to return, they couldn’t find the ship. They radioed, “Give us some light, we’re coming home.” The ship’s radio operator replied, “Order: blackout. I cannot give you light.” In turn, each pilot desperately radioed the same message: “Just give me some light and I’ll make it.” Each time, the operator had to radio back, “No light—blackout!” Because there was no light from the ship, those six pilots perished in the North Atlantic. Ours is a dark world that desperately needs light. The birth of Jesus Christ brought the light that offers hope to a world in darkness. He came to give us hope.

  When Aaron left for East Asia on a missions trip some years ago, he asked, “Dad, what if something happens to me?” I answered in confident hope in the cross that I knew Aaron had trusted in for his salvation, “Then, I’ll see you later.”

  When you accept God’s gift of hope, as beautifully written of in Romans 8:35-39, NOTHING can separate you from the love of God and hope!

  The greatest gifts aren’t under a tree. God’s gift was nailed to a tree so we could have peace, joy and hope. Have you opened God’s gift to you?

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.