The Greatest Gift of All

"Today in the town of David, a SAVIOR has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  (NIV)  Luke 2:11

I thought about who should round out our Advent series of those who were there at our Dear Lord's birth.  We have talked about the innkeeper, the shepherds, and Joseph.  We have seen through the innkeeper to keep our focus on Jesus.  We have learned through the shepherds to be humble before God and tell His great story.  We have learned through Joseph to be obedient to God and His plan for us.  Today we focus on the one that this entire evening was about - our dear Jesus.  What a miraculous night that must have been. 

He was just a baby that night, yet, as a baby, the impact He brought into our world that evening changed history.  There was so much that Jesus' birth meant.  His birth filled the prophesy that had been preached.  His birth brought confirmation of the angels that visited Mary and Joseph.  His birth brought hope, knowing that the Messiah would carry our sins.  Yet, the greatest gift that Jesus' birth brought, in my humble opinion, is perfect love.  Through Jesus' birth, life, and death, we see the incredible picture of perfect love.

No matter how much we love our spouse, our children, our parents, our friends, we are still sinful.  We can think bad thoughts, say bad words, do bad deeds - although we love these people dearly.  We sin, even to those that we love the most.  Yet, Jesus was perfect in His love for all.  Perfect in His love for his parents.  Perfect in His love for a paralytic.  Perfect in His love for a sinful woman.  Perfect in His love for a thief on a cross.  Most importantly for all of us, he is perfect in His love for you and me.

So many times I have had conversations about finding true love.  When will the right person be brought into our lives?  When do I know if the person I am with is the right person for me?  Why can't I be loved for who I am?  There is one answer for all of those questions - JESUS.  Jesus is the right person for our lives; He loves us for who we are - for He CREATED us.  He created us with all of our flaws and all of our gifts.  He loves us despite what we have done - the sins that we have committed.  He loves us enough to take all of our sins away from us.  He loves us enough to prepare a place for us when we depart this earthly life.  He loves us - you and me! Through His perfect love of us, he teaches us how to love others.  In every word Jesus spoke, in every miracle Jesus performed, in every moment He taught us how we should love those around us - far and near, family or stranger, easy or difficult.  

There is no greater gift than Jesus' love for us.  So as we prepare for Christmas on Friday, may we take some time to reflect on our Advent season together.  May we live our lives EVERY day how we might have focused them during Advent.  May we focus on our Jesus with a humble and obedient heart; telling others of the good news; and showing His love through us.

As Christmas approaches, my Christmas wish for each and every reader is to be blessed with the miracle of our Lord.  May His birth bring to you all that He wanted it to bring - hope and love in our true Savior.  I pray that your Christmas is filled with joy and happiness.  Blessings and love to you all!!

"Dearest Jesus - during this Advent season, you have shown us so much through those that were present at your birth.  May we take those learnings and apply them to our lives - not just during Christmas, but every day.  Help us to take the greatest gift of all - your unconditional love, and share it with others.  In your gracious and wonderful name we pray, AMEN!"

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!