What are you giving Jesus for Christmas?

  The stores are busy, but I don’t mind the crowds; in fact,      I rather like it—‘love the energy, the noise, and also the thought that our economy is indeed going to be okay!

  Still, in the back of my mind, I have been thinking about what I might give to Jesus this Christmas.  What do I have that he would want?  After all, in gift giving, don’t we consider the wants and needs of the receiver?  Sure we do, but then the Wise Men brought gifts that were meaningful and symbolic, not at all tied to needs or wants of the young Baby Jesus.  Hmmm . . . We read, “In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?  For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage … When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.  On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage.  Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11

  Ah, gifts .  .  . What can I give Jesus this year?  He doesn’t need my money, not that I really have much anyway …

  I love Christina Rossetti’s final words of her poem, and 138 years later, they are right on point.  What can I give him, poor as I am?   If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb, if I were a wise man, I would do my part—Yet what I can I give him?   Give my heart.

  God doesn’t need anything from us, and yet, the very thing he wants, is us!  Some of us make intellectual decisions, acknowledging that the claims of God have merit—that when one takes the time to check, there is much that is verifiable about Christianity—fulfilled prophecies, historical, scientific, and archaeological proofs that back up the claims of the Gospel.  

  But if those are so, if they are true, then a commitment to Jesus Christ is in order.  That commitment is giving all of who we are to God—you know, not just enough to get to Heaven, or enough to consider ourselves ‘Christian’ or a lesser standard, ‘religious’ or ‘spiritual’ (like Oprah style) . . . no, God deserves and he requires nothing less than our total devotion—our complete trust.

  What do you say then?  Could you, might you, will you give your whole self to Jesus?  Yes, that would be a wonderful gift for the Savior this Christmas----give him you.  Give him your devotion--priority in your mind and heart.  Last night, I looked around at a darkened room of teen-agers and raised the same question, as eyes sparkled at the thought.  "There is nothing he wants more than me," someone bravely ventured.  That's right indeed.  And then I thought to myself, 'how can I give him more of me?'  Maybe I can start each day, asking that he will give me more love for those in my life, and those I encounter along the way ... How about you?  Perhaps you could pause and consider the thought, 'Lord, what could I give you? How could I honor you with my life this Christmas?' Ah, to he who has given us so much . . . 

Grace and peace, my dear ones~

Christine