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Tomorrow evening we begin our celebration of the birth of Jesus. This is a time when we not only celebrate the birth of Jesus, but we also open the many gifts that we've received from loved ones. As we unwrap our gifts, we often try to guess what's in the packaging. Sometimes we're right, but many times, what's in the package, is not what we expected... or it turns out to be so much more.
The gift of Jesus can appear this way to us. Although, we think we know who Jesus is, as we open our gift, we find that we've looked at Jesus a certain way, and that there's really a lot more for us than we thought. We may see Jesus in a "box" of our own creation, and see Him presented in a certain "wrapping". When we decide to fully unwrap the gift of Jesus, we find that we have a true gift from God... of God!
Now, we all know Jesus... We see the outer wrapping of the gift, which is what we have learned, and what we assume, about Jesus. There's more though, and to get to that, we need to spend more time with him, in prayer, in worship, and through scripture reading... Next, we need to open the box. That means that we need to go beyond how we see Jesus, and find out more about our gift. We need to watch for Jesus in our world. We need to let our actions change as we learn more about Jesus. We'll find that we feel Jesus within us more.
When we realize that we've fully unwrapped the gift from God that is His son, we'll more fully see the impact on our own lives. We'll feel the presence of Jesus within us. We'll follow the guidance provided to us. We'll realize that for God to act in this world, we need to be God's hands, and follow His guidance.
Our greatest gift is the gift of Jesus. So, after you think you've unwrapped all your presents on Christmas morning, look around for your greatest gift. He'll be right there with you. You'll see Jesus in the actions of others. If you have trouble finding Him, just ask yourself "Do I see the love being shared in this room?"... If you answer "yes", then you will truly find your greatest gift, the only true gift that keeps on giving. Jesus will be the gift that gives... hope... comfort... love... peace... and so much more.
May God's peace and comfort be with us all. Amen.