December 24, 2006

All I Want For Christmas

All I Want For Christmas Is Love

Luke 2:15-20

Opening Words: An American Express asked, “What is the worst Christmas gift?” The Number one answer at 31% was fruitcake. It even finished ahead of "no gift at all." When asked how to dispose of a bad gift, 30% would hide it in the closet, 21% would return it, and 19% would give it away. This suggests that the Christmas fruitcake you eat at a holiday party is really a recycled unwanted gift. People don’t want fruitcake! So what do people want for Christmas?

During the season of Advent I am going to look at five different gifts that God gave to you in the person of Jesus. These gifts are eternal. They are not gifts that will end up in next summer’s yard sale. During the first three weeks of Advent we have looked at the gifts of peace, hope and joy. Today we look at the gift of love. This evening we will look at the gift of a savior. Our text for this morning comes from the second chapter of Luke, verses fifteen through twenty.

Luke 2 ¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

¹⁶So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Do you remember the name Tom Southerland? He was held captive in the Middle East for four long years. Much of that time he spent in solitary confinement. He had no contact with the outside world. The only contact he had with the outside world was a radio that his guards listened to daily. It was set to the BBC. He listened to the radio daily and he listened to hear his own name. It was never uttered. He felt like he was forgotten. Then one day he was released. Our government flew his wife, Jean, to be with him. A few days later Tom and Jean flew back home together. As they were getting off the plane in San Francisco Tom was surprised by the lights, cameras and the crowd. He looked at his wife and said, “There must be a celebrity on board with us!” He looked around trying to identify some famous face. Jean looked at Tom and said, “Tom, they are here for you! This is all for you!” When the reality of the situation hit him he began to cry. He sobbed like a little boy. He couldn’t stop. He could believe it. It is the same emotion the shepherds had when the angels came to them! That is the text for today.

Today is a special day. It is the forth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve. That has not happened sense 1995. It will not happen again until the year 2017. Let me state the obvious. It is late in this liturgical season but it is the right time to talk about presents. (It is always the right time to talk about presents.) However, I am not just talking about the gifts you will receive from your loved ones. I am talking about the gifts God gave you and me. He gave us these gifts because he loves us. They are the same gifts the shepherds received on that night. These gifts are eternal. Each one is illustrated in the shepherd’s story. So if you can’t wait any longer and you want to unwrap your Christmas presents say, “Amen!”

Gift Number One: Acceptance

I love the story of C.K. Chesterton. The British poet and theologian was a brilliant man. Yet, he was also extremely absent minded. That problem grew worse in his later years. One day he boarded a train and forgot where it was going. He got off the train and telegraphed his wife. He said, “I have done it again. I am a Market Harbor. Where am I supposed to be?” And she telegraphed him back one word. HOME! Home is where you are loved and accepted, in spite of your limitations.

That is what makes the shepherd’s story so wonderful. They were accepted by the God of the universe. That was a new feeling for the shepherds. They only knew rejection. This is the truth. They were forgotten by their world. They were unloved by their world. They were seen as unclean both physically and spiritually by their world. They were abandoned and isolated. Then suddenly everything changed. The angels appeared and announced to them that the Christ was born. In a world of people with ears to hear they were the first to be told, “The Christ is born.” Someone did care for them. Someone did accept them. Someone did love them but not just someone, the God of the universe.” Overwhelmed, they went to see this Christ child. God loved those shepherds and God loves you, too! In the perfect church everyone is accepted. If you think that is a good thing say, “Amen!” There is the gift of acceptance. There is also the gift of forgiveness.

Gift Number Two: Forgiveness

A couple married for 15 years began having more than usual disagreements. They wanted to make their marriage work and agreed on an idea the wife had. For one month they planned to drop a slip in a "Fault" box. The boxes would provide a place to let the other know about daily irritations. The wife was diligent in her efforts and approach: "leaving the jelly top off the jar," "wet towels on the shower floor," "dirty socks not in hamper," on and on until the end of the month. After dinner, at the end of the month, they exchanged boxes. The husband opened his box and reflected on what he had done wrong. Then the wife opened her box and began reading. They were all the same, the message on each slip was,"I love you!" Not long before she died in 1988, Marghanita Laski, one of our best-known secular humanists and novelists, said, "What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness; I have nobody to forgive me."

Here is a news flash for you. The shepherds were not perfect people and neither are you! The second gift is forgiveness. It is not just forgetting past sins. Forgiveness is a pardon. God is trying to rehabilitate you! He sees the potential that is still inside of you. He sees the person hiding inside of you. The person you were supposed to be from the very beginning. Let me say this gently. You have some work to do and so do I. If you think forgiveness is a good thing say, “Amen!” The first gift is acceptance. The second gift is forgiveness. The third gift is Christ.

Gifts Number Three: Christ

Patrick Henry understood the importance of Christ in his life. He closed his last will and testament this way. He said, “I have now disposed of all my property to my family. There is one more thing I wish I could give to them and that is Jesus Christ… If they had Christ… if I had not given them one shilling, they would be rich indeed; and, if they had not Christ … and I would have given them all the world, they would be poor.” The great patriot was right!

There is not doubt about it. The greatest gift you will receive this Christmas is Jesus, the Christ. He is the very heart of Christian love. He is the beginning and the last. He is our hope and our foundation. Without Christ we have nothing at all. And all of God’s people say, “Amen!” We are going to talk about the gift of a savior this afternoon and evening.

Do you remember how I began this message? Tom Southerland had been released after four years of captivity. He and his wife Jean were returning home. Tom saw all the lights, camera and the crowd. He saw the excitement. He thought a celebrity was on the plane with him. It was Jean who told him it was all for him! He was overwhelmed. Here is some overwhelming news for you!

The excitement of Christmas is all for you! God loves you so much he gave you three wonderful gifts. He is giving you the gift of acceptance. He is giving you the gift of forgiveness. He is giving you the gift of Christ, himself. They are all for you! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”