Christmas Day Message 2014Your Gift (2)
Your Gift
Hebrews 1:1-4-12

John 1:1-14
The Word became a human being and lived here with us.
We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.
From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.

After viewing media clip: ‘Your Gift’

God’s knocking on your door again. He has been doing this for a lot or people for a long time.

Long ago in many ways and at many times God’s prophets spoke his message to our ancestors. (Hebrews 1)

It may have been a year since you heard him knocking – or maybe just a day.

You may have cocooned yourself in your own little world for ages, resisting all this God stuff that you once knew.

You may have been busily making your own way – making your own choices, building a life, coping with trouble without reference to a God who has gifts for your journey.

Like the woman in the yellow coat, he could walk away and leave you to it. He would be within his rights as the creator of you to let you go – keep walking away…

He could keep his gifts and just catch the bus back home. He could withdraw his offer of divine life in yours, forgiveness and cleansing of all regret, shame, wrong doing; pain from what others have done and said that you still carry.

He could simply return to his holy heaven and either forget you or just watch you from above like a laboratory assistant watching the mouse getting worn out as he meaninglessly and endlessly turns the little treadmill for lack of anything else to do or understanding that there is more to life

After all, we are very capable of believing that we deserve all of these gifts from above. Like a spoilt kid who simple demands better gifts from her parents at Christmas; as if she just deserves whatever is under the tree, as if those gifts under the tree have not costs someone something, missing the truth that any gifts is to be received with simple thanks because the very nature of a gift is that is freely given in love and graciously received the same.

So what gift have you been demanding of God? What do you think he has not delivered for you – in the amount and way he should have? Do you find yourself angry at God for not giving you what you think you need?

Is it true that we all are we all very capable of being spoilt people demanding and demanding that he make us happy, wealthy, safe; pretending that we deserve all of this and forgetting that every waking moment, every breath, every opportunity to love and be loved is actually pure gift given by him?

It probably is true. And yet our lack of understanding or maturity or gracious receiving is not the last Word today – at all!

Like the woman in the yellow jacket – God returns. Like a woman who could never leave her child, or a son who could never abandon his Mum, or a child who has to put up with all the relatives in a full house at Christmas holidays, God returns to you, now personally; now humanly, now unmistakably…
But now at last, God sent his Son to bring his message to us. God created the universe by his Son, and everything will someday belong to the Son. 3 God’s Son has all the brightness of God’s own glory and is like him in every way. By his own mighty word, he holds the universe together. (John 1)

Someone saw him.

The Word became a human being and lived here with us.
We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.
From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.

Babies in wombs leapt for joy when this Word in the flesh came near. Elizabeth got it right when Mary, the carrier of this man of truth in utero came to her house.

“Blessed are you who believe what the Lord says he will accomplish in you”

We hear him. We leap for joy today, not because we deserve anything good from God, but because he returns to us again and knocks on our door with his gifts to give to overflowing.

Whether we are cocooned away in our own little world, feeling guilty as sin, unsure of his beauty and truth, unclear on what he makes of you, acting like a spoilt child forever demanding and hardly ever thanking and simply receiving his good gifts, – the are your today – he is yours today.

Why are we doing this again? Why Christmas, why today, why again?

Because he is a gift; God of undeserved love and kindness with us and for us.

He is the God of the undeserving. His gifts of inner peace, reconciliation with others, a peace beyond politics and guns, a generous invitation to all to this banquet – they are why we do this. He is why we do this. .

Today, he knocks ready to give his good gifts to you. The gift he carries is for those least deserving. It’s a gift that changes things. He enables us to be and do what we could never had imagined.

We become a gift. We become the carriers of this gift other as undeserving as we are. We take on his heart of compassion for people. We become the lady in the yellow coat who could not simply walk away carrying gifts meant for others. By his living Spirit he empowers us to turn around and knock on their doors – to be good gifts givers again and again.

His trust becomes our truth. His love becomes our love. His hope becomes our hope and these gifts that performance can never buy are what we freely give away to anyone who will receive them.

The question was asked: What will they see in you this season?
His undeserved love for the undeserving in your life.
His gifts of grace passed on from him through your presence, interest, effort and acts of love.

Friends, receive the gifts he offers you today. Answer the door and welcome him.

Be the gift for theirs today. Knock on their door. Give him away to them.