Recently, we were in Koujoukadah on a Sunday morning. It's the Christmas season, and after a time of worship and Bible study on the birth of Christ, an offering was taken. One of the two men who was baptized at the first baptism service, Mr. Hazoo, came forward and gave an offering - a bag of rice and corn. Truly, Christmas is a time of giving.
Our home is a place of busy activity during this season. Sarah Joy, Rebekah and Christopher have been busy making and giving gifts. Just yesterday the girls made a batch of peanut butter cookies and then gave them to mom and dad as gifts. They were delicious, warm, full of vanilla and sugar, but mostly of love. Then Christopher came into my office and pointed out a gift he had given a while back on my wall, a drawing in the shape of a oval, I think, with a smile on his face. Our tree is now up and is full of red, blue, green, and assorted other colors of lights. There are many gifts under our tree wrapped in green, red, yellow paper and ribbons. We have received gifts of Christmas cards of scenes of the season. When I see our girls all dressed up in their Christmas dresses Suzanne made, as well as our son coming into my office to play under the desk, I thank our God in heaven for the gift of our children. Our table will soon be a place of abundance - fresh roasted hens, dressing, green beans, homeade rolls, pies and cookies of all sorts, have all been gifts from Him in the past. I am looking forward to seeing what He gives this Christmas day. However, of all the gifts our Heavenly Father has given, His greatest gift came at the birth of Jesus Christ.
Max Lucado wrote concerning God's Greatest Gift:
"Untethered by time, (God) sees us all. From the backwoods of Virginia to the business district of London; from the Vikings to the astronauts, from the cave-dwellers to the kings, from the hut-builders to the finger-pointers to the rock-stackers, He sees us. Vagabonds and ragmuffins all, He saw us before we were born. And He loves what He sees.
Flooded by emotion. overcome by pride, the Starmaker turns to us, one by one, and says "You are My child. I love you dearly. I'm aware that someday you'll turn from Me and walk away. But I want you to know, I've already provided a way back."
And to prove it He did something extraordinary. Stepping from His throne, He removed His robe of light and wrapped Himself in skin, pigmented human skin. The light of the universe entered a dark wet womb. He whom angels worship nestled Himself in the placenta of a peasant, was birthed into the cold night, and then slept on cow's hay. Mary didn't know whether to give Him milk or give Him praise, but she gave Him both since He was, as near as she could figure, hungry and holy. Joseph didn't know whether to call Him Junior or Father. But in the end called Him Jesus, since that's what the angel had said and since he didn't have the faintest idea what to name God whom he could cradle in his arms.
You wonder how long My love will last? Find your answer on a splintered cross, on a craggy hill. That's Me you see up there, your Maker, your God, nail-stabbed, and bleeding. Covered in spit and sin-soaked. That's your sin I'm feeling. That's your death I'm dying. That's your resurrection I'm living. That's how much I love you."
During this season of Christmas, this season of gift giving, let us remember, of all the gifts God has given, the birth of Jesus Christ is His greatest.
John Crocker