Receiving Your Christmas Gift

There is crispness in the air, the smells of pine and spices permeating my senses, and bright multi-colored lights adorning the landscapes around me…Christmas is coming…Christmas is here!

Warm memories flood my mind as I remember Christmas as a child. My Mom always bought a fresh cut pinion tree from the Boy Scout lot. Although it never fit the “image” of Christmas trees you would see in story books, it was big and beautiful. We decorated the tree with an abundance of colored lights and bulbs of caricatures in different hues. One of my favorite things to do was lie under the tree, looking up at the lights before I went to bed and first thing in the morning when it was still dark out.

Christmas was the one time a year my parents splurged on the five of us children. They would wrap one big gift for each of us, as well as many smaller items so that a wealth of brightly wrapped packages fought for space under the tree. We also had a manger scene under the tree and, although I loved looking at baby Jesus in His crib, the other trimmings drew my attention away from thinking about His birth.

Santa Claus was also part of our family tradition. Every year our family placed baked cookies and something for Santa Claus to drink. The anticipation of Christmas morning would mount each passing day, until finally, when we were about to burst, Christmas Eve would arrive. It was always so difficult to find sleep, the excitement was extreme. I remember trying to stay awake to hear Santa deliver our gifts. Although I was desperate to know what awaited me, I also never dared to peek out and see Santa for fear that I would forfeit my gifts for Christmas. The evasive sleep would finally overcome me, and I would awaken to Christmas morning. Although groggy, my senses would slowly return, and then came the great realization…It was Christmas! My siblings and I would run to see what was under the tree. The room would be dark except for the colored Christmas lights. We would admire the beauty of all the colors and packages.

The marveling was always short-lived, because soon our parents would call us to get ready for the early morning Catholic Mass. This tradition was a good time to refocus on the meaning of Christmas, although as a child, sitting through Mass with all that awaited me at home did not hold my attention for long. Christmas was magical and innocent as a child; yet I remember the enchantment ended when I learned there was no real benevolent man named Santa.

The loss of childhood Christmas magic has been replaced with the peace of Christmas I have discovered as an adult. The excitement built for a day has been replaced with the joy of Christmas every day, and the anticipation of Jesus Christ returning.

Here is Christmas truth. The tradition of Christmas being celebrated on the 25^th of December cannot be found in the Bible. Although this may not be the actual day Christ Jesus was born, it is the day we celebrate His birth; and His birth represents an opportunity to know God personally for all of eternity. The season surrounding Christmas is a time when people become a little kinder, and each of us is a little more mindful and altruistic of our “neighbor” and others in need. Christmas is also one of the two holidays where people who never regularly attend church, tend to go to a service. It is a time when mankind seemingly becomes more self-reflective, and considers what it is he/she believes to be true regarding God and what Jesus’ birth means for his/her life. What is important about celebrating Jesus’ birth is the realization of the gift that came to us through the God-child, Jesus, as the gift of our salvation.

In the Old Testament, we read in Isaiah 7:14, the prediction written some 700 years before the birth of Jesus and of His much anticipated arrival. “The Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

This prophesy was fulfilled and we read about it in Matthew 1:18-23, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly (break the engagement). But while he thought about these things, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary for you wife, for what she has conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, ‘God with us.’” “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4).

Jesus, was in the beginning, and in God’s plan, the Son who would redeem those who were far away from Him due to sin (sin is knowing what we ought to do, and then not doing it). We all fit into this category; we have all sinned, and fallen short of God’s glory. Jesus was born, lived a life without sin, and then gave His life as an offering for our sin. He died and rose again, conquering death for each of us. But it all began with His foretold birth. However, just like a Christmas present wrapped in brilliant colored paper, the present does not become ours until we open it and receive it as our own. If a gift stays under the tree, we have not received it as ours.

With the gift of Jesus, we receive Him by confessing our need for Him and asking forgiveness for choosing to go our own way instead of His. This is how we can be saved, how we receive eternal HOPE.  The separation that was once a huge chasm between God and us can be bridged through what Jesus did for us with His life. The birth of Jesus is good news! It is something to get excited about! As we draw near to Him, He draws near to us and we can live in a devoted relationship with God, forever.

I still enjoy the lights and tinsel, the Christmas music and warm wishes from passersby, as well as exchanging gifts with loved ones. Yet, the greatest gift I could have ever received came though the birth of Jesus, Immanuel, our God with us. Through His birth (and death), I received the forgiveness of my sins; the washing clean of my soul; the promise of eternal life; and daily joyfulness. I do not wait for December to celebrate Christmas; I live in the grandeur of Christmas all-year round!

Christmas is coming…Christmas is here… I live in Christmas each day of the year!

Have you "opened" your Christ Gift?