December25

Opening song and lighting of the candle:

Holy Is His Name:

Christmas is just about over. We’ve given most of our gifts to our family and close friends. We probably have a few more gifts to distribute over the next couple of days or so to people we didn’t have enough time to visit today. But, Christmas is about over.

There were times of cheer and excitement and times of anticipation and satisfaction, but there were probably some times of disappointment too. We all worked hard to make this day as special for others as we could. We spent countless hours shopping trying to find those perfect gifts. But Christmas is almost over.

Not everyone is as completely satisfied as the little boy I heard about.

It was Christmas afternoon at a church in San Francisco. The pastor of the church was looking over the manger scene and noticed the cradle was empty. The baby Jesus was missing from among the figures. Immediately he turned and went outside and saw a little boy with a red wagon, and in the wagon was the figure of the little infant, Jesus. So he walked up to the boy and said in a rather harsh voice, "Where did you get that Jesus, little boy?" The boy replied, "I got him from the church." "And why did you take him?" asked the pastor. The boy said, "Well about a week before Christmas I prayed to the little Lord Jesus and I told him if he would bring me a red wagon for Christmas I would give him a ride around the block in it.”

You see, the little boy got exactly what he wanted for Christmas and was happy. He was also grateful and wanted to express his thanks for what he got. He had made a promise to Jesus and was following through on that promise. Like other children, he probably got some other gifts too. We tend to think more is better. But this wagon is really all he wanted.

Many of us get caught up in trying to get as much as we can for our children, our spouse and our friends and family that we forget that there is usually only one thing they really want. There is probably a gift that we have forgotten to wrap up and give this year. It’s been so busy that you forgot.

We’ve talked before of the greatest gift of all time. That was the gift of God’s Son, given in love so that we could be saved and forgiven of all our wrong doings. There’s no way we can match this gift, no matter what you bought this year. But there is a way to get close. There is a way to give something today and every day that will rival the gift that God gave us.

Throughout the Gospels, we hear Jesus say that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord and to love each other. Love . . this is a gift we can give anytime and all times. It is the gift that will come the closest to what God gave us. It is the gift that will always please and it is a gift that can brighten the lives of all who are around us. It is a gift that can save lives, heal the hurt and bring peace to a troubled heart.

Like other gifts that we give though, there is a cost. The cost is that we become open and vulnerable. The cost is that we let ourselves open to disappointment and pain. And that is far more than you have spent on all the Christmases in all of your years. Love is worth more than you could ever spend.

Bible Readings. . .

Galatians 6:10 (Msg) Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.

John 13:35 (Msg) This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other."

1 Cor. 14:1 (Msg) Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it—because it does. Give yourselves to the gifts God gives you. Most of all, try to proclaim his truth.

1 Cor. 13:3 (Msg) If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

1 Cor. 13:13 (Msg) But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Galatians 5:14 (Msg) For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom.

Proverbs 3:27 (Msg) Never walk away from someone who deserves help; your hand is God's hand for that person.

Matthew 25:35-40 (NRSV)

for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' 37Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'

But how do we give this gift of love? One of the most important aspects of love is time, time for your spouse, time for your children and time for your friends. We’ve all heard the stories before of children getting all those wonderful and expensive gifts at Christmas only to find out that what they really wanted was a little more time with Mom and Dad.

But how do we get that time? We make it. We take a little time from all the other things we do and set it aside and package some up from every hour we can. Then we give as much as we can every week. We give time to our children. We give time to our spouse. We give time to our friends and relatives. We give time to our church family. Those of you who are here this evening are showing your love to God and to His church family. You have taken time out of your day to show your love.

You’ve heard the saying “Time is money”. Well treat it like money. Save what you can and don’t squander it. Spend it wisely.

You can always make more money. You cannot make more time. We are only given so much time. There are no bonus checks of time.

Love is maintaining a relationship with those around us. Love is not achievements or the acquisition of things. Relationships are what matters most in our lives. But we must be prepared to give our time, our energy and our attention to those relationships. Instead, many of us are too busy with making a living, doing our work, paying the bills and accomplishing our goals as if these were the most important things in our lives. They are not.

Love leaves a legacy. How you treat other people will be how you are remembered, not by your wealth or your accomplishments.

There is a shortcut that makes it easier to show your love to all the people around you. That shortcut is to first Love the Lord. If you give your heart over to God, loving others and loving yourself becomes easier and easier. Try to follow the words and the feeling expressed in this song by Michael W. Smith.

-- - I Give You My Heart

Matthew 22:37-40 (Msg)

Jesus said, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' 38This is the most important, the first on any list. 39But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' 40These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."

Notice that Jesus says here that to love the Lord should be first on our list, but He says that loving others and ourselves is just as important. The truth here is that you really cannot do one without the other.

If you find that you are not giving all your love to the people around you, that you hold back a little, then I say that you do not love God with all of your heart. And if you are not giving your time and love to God, then I say that you are fooling yourself if you say that you completely love your family and friends. One goes hand in hand with the other.

Ephes. 5:2 (Msg)

Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

I read about a pastor who spent a lot of time at the bedside of many people in their final hours. Those people were on the brink of death. He said he never heard anyone ask him to bring them their diplomas or their awards or trophies, or medals or the gold watch for faithful service, or their money, or any of their things. When this life is ending, people do not surround themselves with things. What they want around them is people – people they love and have relationships with.

His message to us was not to wait until we are on our deathbed to realize what’s important in life, not to wait until we are on our way out to figure out that none of our things matter. Wisdom is learning that truth now, before it is too late.

Every morning we should wake up and start our day by asking God to help us to remember to spend more time loving Him and the other people around us. Make that our first priority and everything else will fall in place.

I drive a bus for Tri County Human Services back home and transport a mixture of mental health patients back and forth. Just the other day, one of the young ladies on the bus was sitting behind me. She was looking pretty angry about something that went on that day. She sat quietly, not wanting to talk. Her head was hanging low and she was staring at her lap. Some of the other people on the bus were making some small talk about Christmas and shopping. After traveling a few miles, I heard her say, “Art, how do you know if you’re special?”

I didn’t quite know how to answer that. So, I said, “You just feel it.” There was a moment or two of silence, and then she just said, “Oh.” Then there was some more silence. Eventually, I said, “Joann, have you ever felt special?” This time there was no hesitation. She said, “No.” How sad. Here was a young lady in her early or mid twenties and she could not remember ever feeling special.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Let those around you know that they are special to you. Let them know now. That is the greatest gift you can give. Give it quickly, before this Christmas day ends. Go home, get a box, wrap it up, put a bow on it and give it to all the people who are important in your life. Give it now, before you forget. Give it now, before it’s too late. There is still time. Then, give it as often as you can and give it to everyone you can. Amen.

Ending Song: "I Love You Lord".