"The Perfect Gift"

Well, the countdown has begun! The malls and stores are filled with shoppers. Hopefully, you all survived Black Friday. Amber, her mother, my mother and some friends battled the traffic and crowds to take advantage of the sales!

To some, Christmas is about the shopping frenzy - the hustle and bustle of the crowds, picking the perfect gift and finding the best bargains. Sadly, Christmas to them is something that is bought or purchased, wrapped in paper or stuffed in a stocking. Now, I am not saying that we should do away with the tradition of gift-giving at Christmas, but we must not allow this tradition to crowd out our understanding of the true "reason for the season."

Christmas is about a birth, but more than a birth, it’s about Emmanuel - God with us! In fact, Christmas comes from two words; "Christ" and "Mass". To the Catholics, the Mass is the celebration of Christ’s life, death, resurrection and coming again. You might say, the Mass is the celebration of the whole Christ event! Therefore, with this understanding, Christmas incorporates all of these events. Therefore, we can’t truly celebrate Christmas without focusing on the cross and the tomb, as well.

Soon, our Christmas tress will be loaded with gifts underneath - gifts for family and friends. I can remember as a child shaking those gifts with my name on them, trying to figure out what was being concealed by the wrapping paper. Very seldom would I be successful in my guesses. We spend a great deal of time, energy and money in shopping for the perfect gift to give to the special people in our lives. What would that gift be, if the recipient didn’t open it or utilize it? The gift would serve no purpose, it would be useless and meaningless. So, the same is true when it comes to God’s gift to us.

Someone once said; "The best way to send an idea out into the world is to wrap it up in a person." In a sense, infinitely more sublime of course, that is what God did on that first Christmas. He had an "idea" logos which he was eager to convey to humanity - the message of his divine love, a Word of hope, peace, joy, love, and an expression of grace. In God’s infinite wisdom he took this "idea," which he was so eager to communicate to humanity, wrapped it up in the person of Jesus Christ, and laid it into a feeding trough.

That is the eternal significance of Christmas. "Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness," says the Apostle Paul. "God was manifest in the flesh" (I Timothy 3:16). "The Word was made flesh," the Gospel of John reminds us, "and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).

Indeed, God wrapped up the wondrous message of his love in the person of Jesus Christ, and sent him from heaven to earth, so that we might know the fullness and mystery of God’s love, grace and truth.

The Babe of Bethlehem is the Word of God Incarnate. He is the message of God to humanity. His holy birth, his sinless life, his atoning death, his triumphant resurrection, his glorious ascension and his coming again are all apart of the Christmas message. We cannot fully celebrate Christmas, unless we celebrate them all. Let us therefore open again the gift of God this Christmas and proclaim:

“Thou didst leave Thy throne

And Thy kingly crown,

When Thou camest to earth for me;

But in Bethlehem’s home

Was there found no room

For Thy holy nativity.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,

There is room in my heart for Thee.

Heaven’s arches rang

When the angels sang,

Proclaiming Thy royal degree;

But of lowly birth Didst Thou come to earth,

And in great humility.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,

There is room in my heart for Thee.

The foxes found rest,

And the birds their nest

In the shade of the forest tree;

But Thy couch was the sod,

O Thou Son of God,

In the deserts of Galilee.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,

There is room in my heart for Thee.

Thou camest, O Lord,

With the living Word,

That should set Thy people free;

But with mocking scorn

And with crown of thorn,

They bore Thee to Calvary.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,

There is room in my heart for Thee.

When the heav’ns shall ring,

And her choirs shall sing,

At Thy coming to victory,

Let Thy voice call me home,

Saying ‘Yet there is room,

There is room at My side for thee.’

My heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus,

When Thou comest and callest for me.”

May there be plenty of room in our celebration for CHRIST MASS! Thanks be to God for his perfect gift - Jesus Christ! What more could we want for Christmas then what God has already provided?

Peace;

Christopher Yopp