Everything is a Gift

Christmas Eve 

Luke 2

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen.  Most of us want peace, joy and hope to permeate our entire life.  Most of us want to be content.  In order to get these things people look far and wide to find them.  For most people it is a never ending quest to try and find these very important things.  I think we all want to have happiness and peace and joy in our lives.  So I am going to give you the answer to how we can get these things.  I will give you the secret to joy and peace.  I will give to you the secret to a life of hope and a life of being content. What is behind all of these things has been revealed to us by God.  Are you ready for the answer?  Everything is a gift.  Everything is a gift from God.

The life that we have right now is a gift.  We did not will ourselves into existence.  God created us and He sustains us.  The Lord has given to us our body, mind and soul.  He has given us consciousness and all of our senses.  He gives us our talents and abilities.  So the life that we have right now is a gift. 

The music that we heard this evening is a gift.  One of the most amazing things that God created was music.  It is a marvel to hear how notes can come together to make such a beautiful and moving melody.  Singing hymns can calm the soul and give us joy.  This is especially true when it comes to the many Christmas carols that we can sing and hear.  

God has given us family and friends.  These important people in our lives are gifts from God.   Our children and our grandchildren are gifts.  Children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews are blessings.  Children are a heritage from the Lord.  God made them and He has placed them with us so that we can guide them and protect them and raise them to know Jesus Christ.            

The time that we have is also a gift that has been given to us.  We have all been given a certain amount of time to live here on this earth.  We have been given time on this earth to honor God’s Name and confess Christ.  Time given to us to love our neighbor and to humbly serve each other.  The time that we have been given is a gift.  A delicious meal is a gift.  Watching a beautiful sunset is a gift.  Laugher is a gift.  I think all of us love the feeling of having a good belly laugh every so often. 

When God allows hardships in our lives that is also a gift.  We don’t often think of it that way but it is.  The Lord has promised that all things work for the good of His people.  God does allow hardships in our life because He wants to bring us closer to Him.  He also wants to grow in us our compassion for others.  We know that even when we suffer, our Lord is with us to comfort us and to strengthen us. Even in the most dark times in our life the Lord is holding on to us and giving us hope.  So even hardships that God allows in our lives is a gift. 

What is the answer to having peace, joy and hope?  What is the secret to being content in our lives?  God gives us the answer in His Word.  He wants us to know it in our hearts and minds.  He wants us to know the truth.  Everything is a gift.  Every good thing is a gift from God. 

That is why we celebrate Christmas.  The ultimate gift that God gave to us is His Son, Jesus Christ.  The birth of Jesus means that the Lord left heaven to come down to the earth to be with us.  The birth of Jesus means that the Lord became a human being in order to save us.  We have all sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.  What we deserve is to be cast away from our holy God because of our sins.  But God did not want to cast us away from His presence, so He sent His Son into the Word to be our Savior.  On this Christian Eve we celebrate the Incarnation.  Jesus is God in the flesh.  Our Lord came into the world in the most humble of ways. Born in a stable and placed in a manger. Jesus came to die and to rise again and that is what He did.   Jesus went to the cross to redeem us from the bondage of sin, the dominion of Satan, and from death itself.  It was Jesus who took all of our sins upon Himself when He died on that cross.  It was the Lord who rose from the dead, defeating death for us.  Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we have been given the gift of forgiveness.  We have been given the gift of salvation.  We know have peace with God.  God’s grace through Christ Jesus is indeed a precious gift. 

Our Lord gives us gift upon gift.  We have been given the gift of faith in Jesus Christ through the Gospel.  Indeed we turn to the Lord and we trust Him.  We have been given the sure and certain hope that God is with us now and forever.  We have been given the true knowledge that we have nothing to fear because God’s love is more powerful than sin and darkness.  Because of the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ we have been given the sure and certain hope of everlasting life.  We look forward to that time when Jesus will return to bring us into the full presence of God.  We look forward to a perfect life with God and with all who are in Christ Jesus.

Every good thing is a gift from God that comes to us purely out of His grace.  So what do you do when someone gives you a gift?  You of course thank them.  In a world that encourages envy, greed, and jealousy we are reminded that the Christian life is one of gratitude to God.  It is one of giving thanks and praise.       

What is the answer to having true peace and joy?  What is the secret to being content in our lives?  God gives us the answer in His Word. He wants us to know it in our hearts and in our minds.  He wants us to know the truth.  Everything is a gift.  Every good thing is a gift from God. Let us receive God’s love and kindness through Christ Jesus.  Let us receive God’s grace and rejoice.  Merry Christmas!  God’s blessings to you all!  Amen.