What child is this, who, laid to rest,

On Mary’s lap is sleeping?

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet

While shepherds watch are keeping?



Nails, spear shall pierce him through

The cross be borne for me, for you;

Hail, hail the Word made flesh,

The babe, the Son of Mary



What did we get for Christmas?



What was that perfect gift this Christmas?



You know, the one that we searched and searched for - enduring crowds at the mall, surfing numerous web sites and reading through stacks of catalogs in hopes that we would find? The one we couldn't wait for our child to receive...In the 60's it was the Barbie doll; in the 70's Legos, 80's Atari and the cabbage patch doll, 90's Game boy and now it is anything Wii.



How excited we were to find it – the perfect gift - how much we looked forward to their receiving it, watching as they trembled with excitement and anticipation, tearing through the wrapping paper and seeing the perfect gift right there in front of them! The look of pure joy on their face as they imagine all of the fun they will have.



How fulfilled that made us feel.



I'm not sure we can even begin to imagine the joy of God as we, through the power of His Holy Spirit, receive the free gift of His Son Jesus Christ and the forgiveness and eternal salvation that He gives us



How would you feel then, if after you spent all that time and effort giving the perfect gift, your child insisted that they pay you for it? Perhaps you would feel disappointed, frustrated, even rejected as they did not understand the true value and meaning of the awesome present you gave.



The joy of giving would be ripped from you.



But isn't that what we do when we are driven by a sense of duty to do what God wants? When our good deeds are done because we believe we have to do them to pay God back for the blessings He has given us, it is much the same thing.



God's loving gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ was a free gift.
We did nothing to earn it, and we can do nothing to pay Him back for it.



But God has done more than just forgive us, and make us His own.



He has also given us faith that compels us to do the same for others.
We don't do good to others and love others out of a sense of duty or responsibility. Obedience for the believer is not a task.
No, we are compelled by the same faith which accepts His free gift to turn,
and in JOY show love and forgiveness to others.



It is all God, you see --- From the gift of unconditional love and forgiveness that we receive through Jesus, to our response to that gift by loving and forgiving others, all has been given to us by God.



So in answer to the question: What did we get for Christmas?



Well, we got everything we will ever need!





We Pray:

Lord, we celebrated the birth of the Christ child and the difference that Jesus' life, death, and resurrection makes in our lives. Because of the person and the work of Jesus Christ, we are all now your adopted children. Through Christ, you, O Lord confer on us freedom from bondage and sin, identity as sons and daughters, and the promise of everlasting life in heaven. In light of our freedom, identity as Your children, and the gift of heaven that we have been given, help us O Lord to rejoice and share our enthusiasm for Christmas with our families, friends, and neighbors today, and all year long.

AMEN