We’ve had a bit of a shake up in our normal family Christmas this year and Christmas is taking place under a whole new roof with room to try some new traditions. My husband has proposed a new way of opening presents Christmas morning; we pass all the presents out and pile them up beside the person they are for and then step back and see who has the biggest pile of presents to open. That person shall be the most loved. Obviously. And then we do what every child wants to do and wildly open every present in mad succession until they are all gone.
It’s true that we consider a person who receives a lot of presents as someone who is deserving of gifts. They must be well-liked and kind to receive so many. Or feared I suppose. If someone receives a few presents we tease and wonder what they did this year to put them on the naughty list. They must be not as loved or lovable as the one with the heap of presents.
We may even, if we are honest, measure and weigh how much we give someone depending on how much we love them or how nice they are to us. We give gifts to people who are special to us, or who we know will be giving us something so we better give them something and avoid social embarrassment.
God gave a gift out of his perfect love to each of us. He didn’t consider our social standing, good deeds, or moral character before he gave his gift. Our failures, bad choices and sins don’t mean we receive a gift that’s worth any less. To each of us it is the same.
It is a great love and a great gift we receive from God.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
When we stack up this Christmas present and compare it with our neighbours’, we will find that it is the same generous gift given to each of us. None of us have earned God’s love but here He is, lavishly and expensively gifting the most precious gift of all: His Son.
This last week of advent is all about the love. Remembering and rejoicing in God’s Love. Remember, you haven’t earned this gift of salvation, it is freely given out of love to you. Rejoice, God loves you and has given his son to be your Saviour!
“Sing to the Lord and bless his Name, proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations, and his wonders among all peoples.
For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, he is more to be feared than all gods” Psalm 96:2-4
