Unwrapping the Gift

Scripture Lessons

Isaiah 52:7-10                      “All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”

Psalm 2                                  “I have set My King on Zion, My holy hill.”

Hebrews 1:1-12                   “[The Son] is the radiance of the glory of God.”

John 1:1-18                          “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you noticed the differences in the way Christmas presents are wrapped? Some people, like me, may use scraps and piece them together. As long as everything is covered it works, right? I try my best, but my wrapping never seems to be the best. While Christmas shopping I stood in line at one store and a sales clerk was wrapping gifts for a customer. It seems like it took forever, but the gifts were wrapped very nicely. Kelly wraps gifts very nicely. She uses a nice box, high quality wrapping paper, ribbons. She has a real gift for gift-wrapping. Sometimes you look at the gift and don’t want to open it because it looks so perfect just the way it is. It’s like the wrapping is a part of the gift, but the wrapping has to be sacrificed in order to receive the gift….I think you know where I’m going with this.

God has wrapped up a gift for you. It is the gift of eternal life. It is wrapped in the flesh of Jesus Christ. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” Jesus Christ is the eternal God. Notice that John tells us, “In the beginning was the Word.” It’s not that the Word was created, it just was. The Word existed in eternity past. In the fulness of time, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The eternal Word has been wrapped in the flesh of mankind, born of a woman. A gift to mankind that we celebrate today and receive with joy.

The incarnate Word walked among us. He healed the sick. He gave sight to the blind. He caused the deaf to hear and the mute to speak. But more importantly than all of the gifts He brought, He forgave sins. Indeed the incarnate Word was a gift to all who would receive Him. Not all people would receive Him, nor will all people receive Him now. Sadly, there are some who reject Christ. There are a variety of reasons. They may reject that they even need a savior thinking that they are “basically good.” They trust in their own righteousness. They reject God’s law, or at least diminish it to the point that it cannot pierce their conscience. So, they rest securely in their own goodness. Rather than receive the gift of Christ Jesus, they strive to earn their place in heaven. To such people, Jesus says “you lack one thing….”

John reveals to us, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” Contrary to the seemingly polite and completely incorrect concept of “multiple paths to God,” there is only one path to God. It is Jesus Christ. He is the God that we worship. He is the Savior of the nations. He is our Redeemer.

In His earthly ministry, Jesus did many great and marvelous signs for the people, “so that [they] may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing [they] may have life in his name.” John 20:31. But the life that you receive in Christ required the unwrapping of the gift. In this case that meant the sacrifice of the incarnate Word, the scourging and tearing of His flesh for the redemption of yours.

Now, I want you to think of a time when you really were excited to give someone a gift. You had been thoughtful, you had the perfect idea, you just knew they would love it, and you couldn’t wait for them to open it. If you can think of such a time, then you are approaching the desire of God for you. That is to say, God desires that you open the gift of Christ Jesus, that you receive His atoning sacrifice for your sins, that you receive the free gift of salvation, “from his fulness we have all received, grace upon grace.” God desires desperately for you, and for all people to receive this gift with joy and thanksgiving.

God comes to you through the incarnate Word and tenderly invites you receive this gift. God comes to you at this altar, in this bread and wine, and gives you His very body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. Come and receive God’s gift for you. Merry Christmas!

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.