The Greatest Gift of All

I don’t have a dramatic conversion story; no lightning bolt, no tear-streaked altar call, no
single moment of revelation. I was simply born into the Church. My Father was a Deacon
whose Bible grew softer each day as he sat at the kitchen table studying. Sharing many
deep thoughts about God with whoever was around. My Mother was the daughter of a lay
preacher. He would load up his goods from the garden and take them to the Market to sell
and preach to those around him. You see, God’s love wasn’t a guest in our home, it was the
wallpaper, the floorboards, the very air I breathed from my first cry.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; -Jeremiah 1:5(NKJV)
As a child, December always arrived with a double birthday, mine mid-month, then
Christmas crowns it with glory. Our porch glowed with colored lights; the smell of Pound
cakes in the oven while Daddy read Luke 2 by the fireplace. One year my favorite gift was a
skateboard with racing stripes on it. I would hook up my dog to his leash, and he would pull
me everywhere. The wind whipped my hair, and my heart was certain nothing could ever be better. Then Spring came, and the skateboard would soon be forgotten in the corner. The ache of outgrowing my gifts settled in my chest like a stone. I didn’t yet understand the
deeper longing, but I felt it. Something inside me was built for a gift that would endure.
For there is born to you this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord
-Luke 2:11 (NKJV)
From my earliest memories I sensed Him, a gentle pressure behind every choice. When I
sneaked an extra cookie, conviction arrived before the crumbs could hit the floor. When I
choose kindness over gossip, peace folded around me like my grandma's quilt. You see, I
know that I have made some shining decisions like tithing my very first check, forgiving a
friend who betrayed me. I made some not so shining choices as well, like saying words that
cut, doors I should not have stepped through. Each time I fell, I braced for the silence of
abandonment. Instead, I heard footsteps. God’s hand slipped back into mine,
patient as sunrise.
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you
turn to the right or you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21 (NKJV)
I learned to breathe in valleys and on mountaintops alike, because of the One who
promised.
“Never will I leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV)
Fast forward to marriage, children and grandchildren. So many adventures and the ups and
downs of life. God is in the center of it all. In Him, our map will never say a dead end.
Two thousand years ago, the Father sent the gift the world still needs the most.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in
Him shall have everlasting life, John 3:16 (NKJV)
Not a toy. Not a bonus. Not even a ceasefire in our chaos. God gave himself, wrapped in
swaddling clothes, laid in a feeding trough, breathing our air, crying our tears. Jesus is the
greatest gift of all because He meets the ache no sale can touch. Jesus arrives before we
clean up, while we are still rebels. Open hands, not perfect behavior, are all the wrapping
He requires.
But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ
died for us. Romans 5:8 (NKJV)
Unwrap Him right now, you don’t need to wait until December 25th. Right in this moment, in
the hospital, the courtroom, the silent kitchen, Jesus stands with nail-scarred hands open.
Receive Him. Let Him turn your ordinary into an altar. Pray with me.
Lord Jesus, I open my hands and heart. Forgive me, lead me, fill me. Thank You for being
the Gift I will never outgrow. Amen.
Tell someone. Text a friend. Bring them on Sunday. The Gift grows brighter when shared.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We stand in awe of the night You broke the silence of heaven with a baby’s cry. Thank you
for the gift no human hand could craft, no heart could earn, Your only Son, Jesus Christ,
born in Bethlehem’s humble stable, wrapped in love, laid in a manger. Thank you for the
miracle of the manger. That You, the Creator, became a child so that we could become
yours. Thank you for stepping into our shortcomings so that we could step into Your mercy.
Lord Jesus you are the Greatest Gift, the light that outshines every Christmas bulb, The
Love that outlasts every season. The Savior who never stops unwrapping Himself in our
lives. We praise You; we worship you; we thank you with every breath. May every heart this
Advent open wide to receive to You anew. In the precious, powerful name of Jesus we pray,
Amen