There’s a Gift for You

Due to the tragic demise of my laptop, I’ve already gotten one of my Christmas gifts.   A brand-new iMac!  She’s a beauty, sitting majestically on my desk, bidding me use her many features.  That’s an invitation I can’t resist because I want to learn all about my fantastic gift.  I am praying this Christmas, you learn about the incredible gift you’ve been given in Jesus.

Hundreds of years before He was born, there were prophecies about how special He would be.  In Isaiah, it says, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Here’s my interpretation of that verse.  A child was born from Mary, but He was the Son of God.  The Father gave Him to us as a gift.  He’s wonderful and full of wisdom and power.  He’s the way to our Heavenly Father.  Apart from Jesus, we won’t know true peace.  And He’s mighty and brilliant enough to sort out all the problems and dirty politics from here to Jerusalem.  He’s a really big deal.

His birth sent Wise Men across a sea of sand on a caravan of camels with the hope of catching a glimpse of Him.  Their hearts’ desire was to see the gift God had given to mankind.  They sought, and they found.  And whatever they discovered was enough to bring those Wise Men to their knees in worship.  I fear with all our smart technology, we have forgotten to be wise.  We have definitely forgotten the Savior we are supposed to be celebrating this time of year.

I did a Google search for the top Christmas songs of all time.  America’s favorite Christmas songs are about Rudolph, Frosty, White Christmases, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, and Santa Baby.  The top song is, All I Want for Christmas is You, by Mariah Carey.  I don’t know about you, but that gives me a Blue Christmas (also one of the favorites).  Christmas has become like a giant birthday party where everyone is invited, but no one talks about the person they are celebrating.  I think that explains a lot about why our world is hurting so badly.

On my new iMac, there are little pop-up invitations that bid me to “take a quick tour and learn about great new features” and “Try the New Safari.”  I know if I hit those buttons, my Mac will begin teaching me about itself.  It’s as if it knows my need and is trying to help me.  In that way, it reminds me of Jesus.  The greatest gift of all time longs for you to learn about Him.  Most people think they already have.  I think they got a face full of religion and never met the real Jesus.

There’s a verse in Psalms where God says, “Taste, and know that I am good.”  If whatever you thought you tried of Jesus in the past left a bad taste in your mouth, it wasn’t Him.  This Christmas, I invite you to open yourself up to your Gift.  Invite Him to give you a tour of Himself.  I promise you will like Him way better than anything you could find under a tree.