Sermon Snippet – Christmas: A Season of Giving
INTRODUCTION – This message was intended for last Sunday, but our extended power outage prevented our gathering on Christmas morning. We have seen that Christmas is a season of prayer, of family, of song, and of light. At its very core, Christmas is also a season of giving.
1. GOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN A GIVER
The account of Creation in Genesis 1-2 affirms that God created all things and that this creation “was very good” (1:31). Particular emphasis is placed on the creation of Adam and Eve, made “in the image of God” (1:27). The details of Eve’s creation (2:20-25) are especially revelatory of the giving nature of God. Adam needed a “help meet” (2:18, 20). The Hebrew word is one of power, not of weakness or inferiority. Logically, the person helping must be powerful, completing what is lacking in the other. Thus, God gave Adam exactly what he needed, and in so doing He also gave Eve exactly what she required. From the beginning, then, God has been a giver. He “giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (I Timothy 5:17). “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
2. GOD’S PROMISE OF A PERFECT GIFT IS FULFILLED IN THE BIRTH OF GOD THE SON, JESUS CHRIST
Isaiah 9:6-7 is a familiar Messianic passage. Specifically, we are promised that “unto us a son is given” – the Gift of Gifts! The remarkable titles and the fact that there would be “no end” to this reign confirm that this prophecy is about the Messiah. The angelic proclamation in Luke 2:8-14 is precise: more than a “babe” (verse 12) was born! “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, [Who] is Christ the Lord” (verse 11). The distinctive presence of “the glory of the Lord” (verse 9) shines still upon this perfect gift, a present wrapped not in pretty paper but “wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (verse 12).
3. GOD’S GIVING CAN BE REFLECTED IN OUR GIVING
Matthew 2:1-12 records the coming of the wisemen (sometime after Christmas) to “worship” Jesus (verse 2). Part of this worship included the giving of costly gifts appropriate to the King of Kings. These expensive presents would provide the funds needed for this poor family to live abroad in Egypt (verses 13-14). The lavish giving of the magi also was a reflection of God’s giving nature. Certainly the cost of Christ’s Incarnation, leading to His death on the Cross for us, cannot be matched by all of the gifts in the world. Still, though, as we give to others, we are doing what God has always done and continues to do.
CONCLUSION – Most of us know John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The gift of salvation, of eternal life in heaven, is placed before each one of us. Personally and individually, each person must choose to accept this gift of God’s great goodness. May this season of giving be a season of salvation, and may we worship our Savior today in the Communion service.