"Gifts"

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place,
Pulpit Series Volume 17 Issue 46 12/16/2007



It is the season of Christmas…. a wonderful time of year. A time for peace on earth and goodwill toward men.

Ask people about Christmas and most will say something about the giving and receiving of gifts.

When I purchase gifts for people, I try to be sensitive to their likes and dislikes, but I’m not nearly as good as Judi. She is the Queen of gift purchasers. Not only gifts, but stocking stuffers as well. We are so pathetic she buys for us to put in her stocking! God bless her.

I’m not sure how many of you remember the commercial where several people upon opening their gifts state sarcastically, “Thanks Santa, ya thanks Santa.”? It still cracks me up.

Although I am not always “right on” with my purchases I can thankfully say I haven’t heard too many of those comments.

How many of you find it easy to purchase gifts for people?

How many struggle with it?

I’d like to talk with you a few minutes regarding giving a gift to a very special person.

My foundation for this message comes from a blog posting by Max Lucado I read on a young lady’s blog. This posting is significant not only that it fits my message for today, but that it was posted by a single mom who we had the distinct privilege of helping find the Lord.

Not that long ago she and her two daughters were in a terrible state. Now praise the Lord, she is attending church. She prays on a daily basis and is surrounded by a tight support group.

Since she has received the gift of salvation, the gift that keeps on giving, her focus is now on pleasing God, rather than the darkness that was around her and her kids.

She in fact, prays nightly for the very ones that hurt her. That is what having God in us does.

Think about what God has done for you.

For this particular young lady there are no more lonely nights cowering behind a locked bedroom door. No more having to run barefoot through the snow, a child in each arm seeking a safe haven at the neighbor’s. She is no longer kept isolated from her parents and friends. Now she is enveloped in the arms of a loving God and kept by His saving power, supported by the family of God in her new community.

At Christmastime in our family, we draw names. This year I drew my daughter Rebecca’s name. I get to spoil her. I love spoiling her.

Suppose that within the family of God you of all people drew the Lord’s name.
What would you get him?

How could you possibly pick a gift for the One who not only has everything, but who made everything?

As a biblical example, we can look to the Wise Men. In addition to the gold, frankincense, and myrrh, they gave the Lord some gifts that we can also give him today: their hope, their time and their worship.

The wandering wise men gave Jesus their hope.

When everyone else saw a night sky, this small band of men saw the light.

The sight of the star sparked a desire in their hearts that sent them packing. They went, seeking Jesus the King of Kings.

When night comes to your world, what do you see?

The darkness or the stars?

Hopelessness or hopefulness?

Now, my family lives on a ranch way out in what you town folk would call the sticks. When night falls and it gets dark, it gets dark! Black dark, not this sort of grayish charcoal. We are not subject to the street lights or the marquees.

For us, it is that darkness of the night that really defines the brightness of the stars.
There is something breath taking to see the thousands of twinkling stars on a dark, moonlit night.

Sometimes, just as He did so long ago, God uses the darkness to reveal His stars.

I remind you of John 1:5 “The light shines in the darkness.”

Give God your hope for Christmas.

The wise men also gave God their time. Before they gave God their presents, they gave their presence.

It’s likely that these men traveled as long as 2 years before finding the prince of heaven.

Before that one incredible moment when they knelt before Jesus, the wise men spent many moments, months, perhaps years searching, in anticipation of that meeting.

Just as the wise men devoted themselves to seeking the Savior, so can you: “You will seek him and find him when you seek him with all your heart.”
Deuteronomy 4:29

And when they did find him, the wise men gave Jesus another gift: their worship.

Men of wealth, influence, and intellect….. what did the wise men do when they found Jesus? “They fell down and worshiped him.” Matthew 2:11

Worship! It’s a gift that extends to the giver as well.

Through worship, we come to see God more clearly.

God invites us, through worship, to see His face….. so He can change ours.

In worship, we simply stand before God with a prepared and willing heart and let God do His work. And He does.

He wipes away the tears.

He mops away the perspiration.

He softens our furrowed brows.

He touches our cheeks.

He changes our faces as we worship.

The wise men sought the child of God, just as God seeks his children.

“The Father is actively seeking such people to worship him.” John 4:23

The gifts of hope, time and worship are 3 gifts the wise still give.

May God add His blessing to this
wonderful Word!