Jesus is the Very Best Gift

Do you have a favorite or memorable Christmas gift that you received as a kid? I remember hours of fun with a toy called “Showboat Theater.” It had 4 scripts, backgrounds, and actor pieces so that you could put on the whole play of Heidi, Cinderella, Pinocchio, or the Wizard of Oz. It was a thoughtful gift, chosen for me, and I loved it.

The Process of Gift Giving

“If you, imperfect as you are, know how to lovingly take care of your children and give them what’s best, how much more ready is your heavenly Father to give wonderful gifts to those who ask him?” – Matthew 7:11

There are many steps that go into the process of gift-giving. God was thoughtful and creative as He brought the best gift, Jesus, into our lives.

1) The Giver Thinks About The Recipient

God the Father created an amazing world and presented it to Adam and Eve, whom He loved. He was pleased to give gifts and meaningful work and purpose to them and pleased to be their God. God gave them free will, and they violated the only rule that the gift came with, and lost their close relationship with the giver, God the Father.

2) The Giver Picks Out the Best Gift

God was thinking about how to make a way, a bridge, for people to make a good choice and be connected back to the Creator who loved them.

3) The Giver Wraps the Gift

God gave hints and predicted that He would send a Savior. God the Father found a way to reconnect with us. He sent Jesus, an unlikely gift that arrived as a vulnerable baby.

God the Father was proud of His Son, and Jesus learned to listen and to speak everything that the Father told Jesus to say and do. Then Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice and submitted to the punishment for our sin, which was separating us from God the Father.

The punishment was death, being ultimately separated from a relationship with God, and going to Hell. Jesus took the punishment, but Hell had no right to keep him because Jesus was without sin.

4) The Gift is Offered to All

After three days in Hell, Jesus returned to earth to let us know that the bridge back to God was now available to all who believed in Jesus. And to let people know that God was going to send another gift, the Holy Spirit.

5) The Giver Rejoices When Someone Opens the Gift

Did you know that the angels rejoice when someone becomes a believer?

Jesus said, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” - Luke 15:10

God the Father is happy, Jesus is happy, and the Holy Spirit then joins us in our walk on this earth.

6) We Each Have To Open Our Own Gift

It’s a gift to each of us, but we can’t open it for someone else. It is a personal gift to us, that we must make a conscious decision to open it, and to say, “Lord, here I am.”

I heard about Jesus in church, Sunday school, and in high school Bible studies. But it wasn’t until I chose to open that gift in September of 1977, that I met Jesus and gave my heart to him. Opening the gift of a relationship to Jesus began a new life for me.

7) Don’t Forget To Say Thank You

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! - 2 Corinthians 9:15

Have you opened your gift of relationship with Jesus yet?

If you have already received the gift of Jesus as Lord of your life, I encourage you to get to know Him better. Give thanks, pray, read, and discuss with others.

⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. - Philippians 4:6

If you have not begun your Jesus story yet, all you need to do is turn your heart to the Lord and say, “Here I am.” Then tell somebody.

By the way, I recently found the Showboat Theater toy used online, and asked for it for Christmas. I see a big eBay box under the tree… I can’t wait to open it!

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works so that no one can boast. - Ephesians 2:8,9

By Pastor Janie Sjogren