“It came without ribbons; it came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags”
The Grinch is bewildered. What was happening? He thought it was all about the scuttle and scurry of seeking the perfect gift. Don’t you find Christmas in a store? Isn’t Christmas just the gifts and candy and food and decorations?
Then he ponders, “Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
The Grinch is right both times. There is more, and you do find Christmas in a gift.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
“Name the baby Jesus,” the angel told Joseph, “because he will save his people from their sins” (Matt 1:21).
His life began in a humble cradle in Bethlehem, where only some shepherds—sent by angels who proclaimed the birth of a Savior—seemed to notice. We cherish the manger scene in our hearts. We picture a silent night, a shining star guiding the Wise Men who offer gifts and bow in adoration, a sleeping baby resting peacefully as parents gaze in wonder.
But this same baby, this same Jesus would die on a cross where He shed His blood for you and for me.
I can’t think of a more fitting declaration of Christmas than John 3:16:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah said he would be “pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, and by his wounds we are healed.” Jesus died, but on the third day He rose victoriously over sin and death and hell. Now He wears a crown of glory as Revelation proclaims, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain” (Rev 5:12).
Do you know Him as your King? Do you know that everyone who calls on His name will be saved? Acts 4:12 declares, “There is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
When Jesus spoke the well-known verse John 3:16, He was with Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin. Jesus told him, “You must be born again.” He was talking about a spiritual new birth—a new beginning. Here’s how the apostle Paul put it: “If anyone is in Christ, the old is gone, the new is here!”
How do we find this new life? Especially when we learn in Romans that we “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and the “wages of sin is death” (Romans 3:23, 6:23). That’s where Christmas comes in. Jesus came to pay those wages on the cross with His own death. He came so we could receive the gift of God: eternal life.
Romans goes on to say, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”
Do you believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord? Do you believe He died on a cross to save you from your sins? Do you believe God raised Him from the dead? This year, at Christmas, do you join in worship of your Savior and King? Or do you walk away and reject the gift of God.
He sent His Son that first Christmas night over two thousand years ago. There were no ribbons or tags or boxes, but just like the gifts you give and receive around the tree on Christmas morning, if you don’t open it, and see what’s inside, and receive it, the gift won’t mean anything to you.
Receive the Gift into your heart. God loves you. He sent Jesus to show you His unchanging, unconditional love. Celebrate Jesus this Christmas. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
The Savior has been born.
Thanks for taking a few moments to read and contemplate. I would love to hear from you. Please comment below.
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Photos are Evergreen Church Living Nativity, courtesy of Larry Love Photography.