The season of Christmas, for all its wonder, joy, and delight, always seems to be a stressful time of year, especially for men. I am sure there are things about Christmas that cause stress for women, but I am certain it is nothing compared to the kind of stress men have to endure. Many women stress about cleaning the house, putting up decorations, baking Christmas goodies, sending out the Christmas cards, buying all the family Christmas presents, wrapping those presents, hiding those presents. But that is nothing compared to what men have to do. We have to buy Christmas presents for women.
I don’t think woman appreciate what a difficult task this is. Woman are not easy to shop for. For example, the way they size their clothing is weird. I don’t know why they can’t just wear a small, medium, or large like men do? I mean, what’s a size 6? I know it’s not their age. Men, when you are shopping for your wife, trust me, don’t go looking for a size 45, they will laugh you out of the store. Another thing, why are there so many colors? Men see like 5 colors; black, white, red, blue, and green. But woman seem to see an infinite variety of colors like alabaster, chartreuse, and saffron. I wish women would just tell men what they want, but they don’t. They like to be mysterious. They might leave a hint about what they want but they never really tell you what they want. And as if that was not challenging enough, sometimes women can be downright deceptive. They will say things like, “Let’s not get each other Christmas presents this year. Let’s just focus on the children.” But they don’t mean it. It’s a trap. Men, if a woman says this to you, don’t listen to the words she says. She is testing to see if you are paying attention to what she calls her “non-verbal communication”. Trying to get a good Christmas gift for a woman is no easy task.
As a man, I understand that I am not what most women would call a good gift giver, but I know someone who is. Tonight, we are going to be reminded what a good gift giver our God is. There are few passages in all of scripture that demonstrate God’s gift giving ability better than John 3:16.
In John 3:16 we learn that, “God so loved”. Love is what motivates our God to give a Christmas gift. We are familiar with love. We use the word often and most of us claim to have a basic understanding of what love is. But just to be sure we are not confusing love with fickle feelings like affection, lust, or desire let’s take just a moment to define God’s love. God’s love is unconditional; there are no qualifiers given and no limitations set to God’s love. God’s love is self-sustaining; it is neither reactive to outside forces nor dependent on external influences. God’s love is everlasting; there is no trial period and no expiration date for God’s love. God is motivated to give His Christmas gift by an unconditional, self-sustaining, everlasting love.
Love is what motivates God to give. When we read two words further in John 3:16 we discover to whom it is that God gives His Christmas gift. In John 3:16 we learn that, “God so loved the world”. God gave His Christmas gift to the world. First it is worth noting how inclusive is the list of recipients who are given God’s Christmas gift. Men and women, young and old, rich and poor, simple and wise, Africans, Europeans, Asians, North Americans, South Americans, Australians, Islanders, the people of the Arctic and the Antarctic are all recipients of God’s Christmas gift. There is not a chosen people or specific population that can claim exclusive rights to this gift; God’s Christmas gift is given to the world.
The question is, “why”? Why would God give a Christmas gift to the world? Has He looked at the world lately? All you have to do is turn on the evening news, troll the internet, spend some time with social media and you will quickly discover that this world is a stinking sinkhole of sin. Does God not keep a naughty and nice list? Why would God give a Christmas gift to the world?
We look at the world and we can see numerous examples of sin, but what is worse we also see examples of sin in our own community, we see examples of sin in our own congregation, we see examples of sin in our own homes. Like it or not we are part of and contribute to the stinking sinkhole of sin that is our world. Why, oh why, would God give a Christmas gift to the likes of you and me?
Well we already have our answer to that question. That question was answered before we even asked it. God gives His Christmas gift to the world, He gives His Christmas gift to you and me because of His unconditional, self-sustaining, everlasting love.
What sort of gift does our loving God give to the people of the world? A friend once gave me a gold necklace and I thought to myself, “wow my friend values me”. My wife once gave me a pair of running socks and I thought to myself, “wow my wife really understands me”. My momma once bought me a leather bible and I thought to myself, “wow my momma really cares about me”. In John 3:16 we learn that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.” The gift that God gives you for Christmas is His one and only Son. God gave His Son to be born of a woman so that His Son could live among us as one of us. This giving, however, meant more than having Him be born of a virgin mother, placed in a manger, and worshiped by shepherds from the nearby fields. God gave His Son to be born under the law so that His Son would be held accountable for His every thought, word, and action. Then, after His Son had lived among us as one of us, after His Son had perfectly satisfied the requirements of the law on behalf of us, God gave His Son to be the payment for our sins, so that we might be forgiven. I don’t know how you hear the words, God “gave His one and only Son” and not think to yourself, wow, my God really loves me.
But perhaps you are thinking, “there’s got to be a catch”. Nobody, not even ole saint Nick gives a Christmas gift like the one God gives. There’s got to be a catch, there is always a catch. There must be something we have to do to earn this gift, some good deed we must perform to deserve this gift. In John 3:16 we learn that, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him.” The Christmas gift that God gives is for “Whoever believes”. There’s no catch. Believing isn’t a doing. Believing is a receiving. Like children tearing through the paper of a present that has been placed before them we tear through the pages of scripture and discover that this thing that God has placed before us, truly is a gift. God has placed His Son before you and invites you to put your trust in Him and what He has done. There is no catch.
Finally, the true test of a good Christmas gift is how useful it is to the person to whom it is given. In John 3:16 we learn that, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” It is true, even those who have been given God’s Christmas gift will eventually die, but they will not perish. They, like the Son Himself will rise from the dead. They, like the Son Himself will ascend into heaven. They, like the Son Himself will be welcomed into the unapproachable light of the heavenly Father. They, like the Son Himself will live, even though they die.
God’s gift to you this Christmas is not wrapped in paper but swaddled in cloth and It is not placed under a tree but in laid in a manger. No matter what you unwrap later tonight or tomorrow morning, it will not compare to the gift that your God has given you. The gift that God gives you for Christmas is the greatest gift you will ever be given. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” I told you, God knows how to give a good Christmas gift. Amen