The time has come for a big gift

Source: Taiwan Church News

A few weeks before Christmas last year, the documentary film "What Would
Jesus Buy?" made its debut in American theaters. The film created quite a
stir among American retailers in gift stores and toy stores across the
nation.

This documentary's producer, Morgan Spurlock, said that his intention behind
producing the film was to shed light on the trend of over-consumption among
Americans during the holidays in the past 50 years. Spurlock focuses on the
period beginning at Thanksgiving and ending after the New Year. He argues
that shopping sprees have misled children into thinking that the purpose of
Christmas is receiving gifts and a parent's love for a child is measured by
the number of gifts the child receives. Most Americans have equated
Christmas with shopping and many go on shopping sprees during Christmas only
to realise afterward that they have accumulated junk they would never use at
home.

It seems only Christian organisations remember that Jesus is the reason for
the season nowadays. For most people, Christmas is just another opportunity
to buy more stuff. Many people get side-tracked in comparing whose Christmas
tree is bigger or prettier. Retail stores compete against each other in
luring customers and making big money from giant sales. These activities
only take the focus away from the real meaning of Christmas, which is the
birth of Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind.

The birth of Jesus was not an accident. It was a gift from God to humanity -
exquisitely timed and planned. God sent Jesus for our eternal salvation, as
foretold by the prophet Isaiah about 700 years before the birth of Christ:
"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with
child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel." (Isaiah
7:14). Isaiah also proclaimed, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is
given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
(Isaiah 9:6). Jesus' birth and how He grew into adulthood are described in
the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke.

The fact that Jesus was an exquisitely timed gift from God can be seen from
the verses above and from Paul's letter to the church in Galatia. Paul
clearly told the Galatians, "But when the time had fully come, God sent his
Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we
might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the
Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."
So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has
made you also an heir." (Galatians 4:4~7). From this passage, one can see
that Christmas is a time to celebrate Jesus' coming as God in the flesh.
Through the birth of Jesus, God was reconciling the world to Him and also
providing for our salvation through the sacrifice of His Son.

Jesus' birth in a lowly manger set the tone for the rest of His life on
earth as a humble, kind, and sacrificial role model. More importantly, His
birth brought new hope to humanity, peace for society, comfort for the poor
and oppressed, and reconciliation between people because of the salvation He
would later accomplish. Hence, the birth of Jesus is God's gift to humanity
at just the right moment. His birth is an irreplaceable, eternal gift. As
you send or receive cards and greet others during this Christmas season,
don't
forget the real meaning of Christmas.