Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Merry Christmas 2015

Hi Friends!

Each year I look to give some Christmas gifts that I hope people will remember for years to come - sometimes I will receive a couple of gifts like this as well - gifts that for lack of a better term I started calling several years back...Classic Christmas Gifts!

But here's the thing - I believe THE CLASSIC CHRISTMAS GIFT was born of a virgin centuries ago and is named Immanuel - the name alone means more than any other gift I could possibly give or receive - this gift literally defines classic for all humanity.

The reality of "God with us" in the person of His Son Jesus is a life-changer - receiving this gift reroutes our destiny from hell to heaven - it is a gift we will not just remember for a couple of years but for eternity.

My thought this Christmas is that I need to come up with a new word for all other gifts but Jesus - if Jesus by definition is THE CLASSIC CHRISTMAS GIFT - then my best efforts of home-made and store-bought gifts might be better called wanna-be's.

But the more I thought about it I came up with this - hopefully whatever wanna-be's that I give or receive this Christmas will allow others to see "God with us"- in that spirit all gifts this Christmas can be classics after-all.

A meal made and delivered to a widow...

A toy train bought and shipped to an orphanage...

A pair of wool socks in a stocking for my spouse...

A movie with our children in the warmth of our home...

A list too long to print with the increasing spirit of Immanuel...

Jesus says "it is more blessed to give than to receive" - so as good as it is to have "God with us" it is even better to re-gift Him - to that end if you have received Him and then give Him away your Christmas will be classic...at least by my definition.

Matthew 1: 22-23 says - All this took place to fulfill what the Lord said through the prophet: ''the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Immanuel" - which means - "God with us" - JESUS IS THE CLASSIC CHRISTMAS GIFT!

Receive Him and Re-gift Him and have a Merry Christmas!

God's Peace,
Jeff