I have received many Christmas gifts over the years, but none compare to the gift God gave us over 2000 years ago when He sent His Son to this earth. The King of all creation left His throne to give us the gift of salvation.
God chose to share the first proclamations of His Son’s arrival not to kings, not to the religious leaders of the day, not to the best and the brightest of the community. He sent His “heralding angels” to some of the lowliest of their day – a group of shepherds.
In the words of Ken Gire, “It was so fitting that the news of the birth of the one called the ‘Lamb of God’ would come to shepherds. That the reception would be hosted in a stable. A place crowded with faces most familiar to them; the faces of animals. A place where the look of their clothes and the smell of their flocks blended in. A dimly lit place, where out-of-place people would feel most welcome.”
God comes to us where we are, in our neediness, regardless of our place in the eyes of the world. The shepherds, with fear and trembling, hung on every word that fell from heaven. They left their fields and flocks to search the barns of Bethlehem, determined to find Jesus, the Savior.
Today, we don’t have to search far to find Him. Yes, we may need to shut out the noises that drown out His voice. We may need to look away from the glitter and gold that sparkle and distract our eyes in another direction. We may need to leave behind the pursuit of things that give us a false sense of security.
But – if we listen for Him, and search for Him, we will find Him waiting for us with outstretched arms. The God of the universe did everything necessary to make a personal relationship with us possible. He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, God Himself, who stepped out of heaven and came to this earth as a baby born in a manger for the purpose of one day dying on the cross in our place for our sins.
There is no other gift that compares with the gift of Christ at Christmas. O come let us adore Him.
