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The greatest gift Off the Wall December 22, 2005
As Anna walked into the living room Christmas day, she saw a large pine tree decorated with lights, decorations and a star attached to its top. Underneath were boxes wrapped with colorful paper, small ones, long ones and gifts wrapped as is. As the three and one half year-old youngster stood there in awe, she began to imagine just what the day would bring as she sized up what lay before her. Questions ran through her mind. What's this tree doing in our living room? Why are all the pretty lights on it? And third, what could be in the presents under its branches? As a child that young, one may not have a lot of hopes as to expectations of gifts. But it would seem to me as being Anna's age at one time, there would be one thing I had hoped Santa would have thought of that would have made me happy, and I pretty much hoped it be wrapped in one of those containers. So there she stood, looking at one present for a while, and then moving on to the next. "I wonder if what I asked for is in that box," she thought to herself. Now, Anna knew that she would get a number of presents from various members of the family. But, there is always that one from Santa that seems to be the greatest gift to get for children her age. It's not that the other presents are meaningless. To a child, everything counts. As a result, Anna was looking forward to receiving her request. As my brother, sister and I were advancing in years, my parents would come to each of us and ask, "What would you like for Christmas?" We would give it some thought and then get back to them. Of course, the folks were always very thoughtful and gave us what we asked. In turn, we wanted to please them by reciprocating. "What would be the greatest gift that would please them the most," was our question. Sometimes it was easy, and other times we had to be very creative. Much comes to mind when December rolls around. Cold weather sends chills down our spine. Shopping for gifts is in full swing, decorations are displayed on homes, nativity scenes are put out in front of many churches and get-togethers are planned centering around the birth of Jesus Christ. For Christians all over the world, the greatest gift that God could have given us was His son. By believing in Him and obeying His Word, we are destined to go to heaven, a place of joy and merriment, free of pain, living with Jesus and God for eternity. Imagine for a moment if God had not asked Mary to carry and deliver Jesus. Who knows what the course of history would have been. But now, 2005 years later, we have a savior to whom we can turn to who loves us and is there for us and One who desires a relationship with us. He is everything we desire in life. He gives us hope, is our strength, points us in the direction which we should walk, lets us know when we are doing wrong and forgives us of our sins. His teaching practices have been used by many throughout the centuries. Telling of God's love, relating in parables, anointing the sick and sharing the gifts of the Holy Spirit were all presented by Christ Jesus, our Messiah. But as we all know, God did not send His Son into the world for only the purposes noted above, but also as our redeemer. Innocent as He was, Christ was hung on a cross and died a horrible death for the atonement of our sins. How could there be a greater gift than that? Yet, there will be people this season who will put up lights, give presents, have parties, and who knows what, but will reject the birthday of our Lord and go about their ways as if it is a time for materialistic gain and ignoring the reason for the season. Christmas should serve as a wake-up call for all that our actions should be dedicated toward serving Christ, bringing people to His table and rejoicing in Him who loves us all. As for Anna, hopefully she will be taught about the birth of a child born in a manger on Christmas Eve. May her parents guide her in ways laid before us in the Holy Scriptures. Have a blessed Christmas.
Paul j. Volkmann 10-17-2005 |
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