A Gift to All

Have you noticed how the media portray Christmas? It’s always big fat turkeys with all the trimmings on a table that could sit a small nation with oodles of vegetables and crispy potatoes. Beautifully wrapped boxes containing the gifts we all want around the largest, best dressed tree we’ve ever seen. And the family! The family are always a model of perfection. Happy, well dressed stereotypes of what we should aspire to be.

Truth is, so many of us cannot afford that kind of Christmas and we don’t have that kind of family. In fact I’m not sure a perfect family even exists. (If you have one please let me know). The result is we feel lonely, depressed and maybe even suicidal because we can’t live up to an unrealistic portrayal of an instachristmas.

There are even those of us who have lost loved ones and this time of year is a stark reminder of a past reality we so desperately long for once again.

This Christmas time I would like to encourage you that there is a Gift for All available.

Remember Jesus was born because of you.

Even if the world rejects you and you feel helpless Jesus was born because of you.

Mary and Joseph don’t get talked about a lot really. They are a pair of side characters in the story but the part they played is far more extraordinary than we initially give them credit for. First of all they were a poor couple engaged to be married when they find out they are to bring into the world none other than the messiah. The promised redeemer of Israel. Then after that they faced shame of pregnancy outside of marriage, a long arduous journey to the other side of the country then the threat of infanticide by the then King Herod. They gave up everything to move to Egypt for a couple of years before coming back to live in a small rural town in the working class region of the country known as Galilee.

They paid a great price because of a promise given by an angel.

The promise of a saviour for All people.

We are drawn too by the promise. However the promise must lead to a purpose. The purpose is giving, blessing and serving toward the salvation of many.

Christmas is for family, it is for the giving of beautifully wrapped gifts and feasting together, but family must extend towards the lonely and hurting.

It’s time to share what we have even if we are poor and don’t have much in the way of money, as a Christian the hope is we can share in the great riches of love, joy and peace.