Christmas in my childhood home was a time of great celebration. There were too many gifts to fit beneath the tree; they filled the entire room where we gathered on that magical morning. But there was always that one present I anxiously anticipated. The other gifts were fun and appreciated, but not like this one—the bb gun (yes, I was a total tomboy) or the shiny bicycle. Those were the gifts I had been asking for since June, and I could not wait to see if they were among the Christmas surprises.
Long after my sister and I knew the truth about Santa Claus, he still left gifts at our house. At least that’s what our parents told us. There were packages marked “from Santa” and there was always something left unwrapped on Christmas morning that was our “Santa” gift. This was usually “the” gift I had been waiting for. So there was great joy in the Landrum household on Christmas morning. (Well, except for the few years I wanted what my older sister received and I acted like a brat…but that’s another story for another time).
As we got older, the gifts became more practical and a little less exciting. Clothes and make-up are fun and all, but not like a shiny new bicycle with a basket, a horn, and a personalized license plate. Oh, and the sparkly fringe that hung from the handlebars. I mean, you just can’t beat that kind of Christmas surprise. I’ve learned that the joy of receiving a gift directly corresponds to our desire to possess that particular gift. The intensity with which we long for something and the length of time for which we wait magnifies the delight of receiving the gift.
My sister is three years older than I am, but I always wanted her gifts. My mom has a photo where I am sitting on Cheri’s banana seat bicycle (stabilized by the kickstand), and my feet do not even come close to touching the ground. But still, I wanted to have that bicycle and not the one with training wheels that was on my side of the tree. So you can imagine my delight when I finally got one of those fancy “big-girl” bicycles to call my own. It was special not only because I wanted it, but because I had waited for it.
This week, I’ve been thinking about these concepts in relation to the first Christmas, when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The people of Israel had been following (or attempting to follow) the law God had given them, including all kinds of regulations and sacrifices. Certainly, God’s law was for the benefit of his people—it prescribed the way to flourish in a broken world. And the sacrifices pointed to Someone better, whose blood would be shed “once and for all.” But still, this life under the law was a hard one. God’s people could not faithfully keep his commands and they consistently suffered the consequences. The Law was given in part so that Israel would feel the weight of sin—the heavy burden of their estrangement from God.
The Gift had been promised, but hundreds and hundreds of years passed with no fulfillment. Many had forsaken the God of their fathers, and others had simply forgotten his promise; but a few were anxiously awaiting His arrival. For generations, the people of God had been longing for the consolation of Israel. Exile and bondage formed the backdrop of their history, and so they rejoiced at his coming (at least the ones who recognized him). They knew they needed a Savior. The shepherds, the wise men, Mary, Joseph, Simeon. They all celebrated the entrance of God into the world he created.
Fast forward a couple of thousand years. We don’t talk much about sin anymore and, therefore, we are not all that impressed with God’s gift of Jesus. In fact, the Christ of Christmas is increasingly hidden behind the trappings of the holiday season. We have lost sight of the glorious gift that is Messiah—through whom we receive forgiveness of sin and restoration to God. For those who have received the Gift, God will never treat us according to our sins (Psalm 103:10). There is no greater joy in all the world than this—our sin has been covered by the blood of Jesus. We will never stand under the divine judgment we deserve, but have been adopted into God’s family. This is good news of great joy—greater than anything under our trees this year.
Have you received this Gift? The waiting is over. He has come to save his people from their sins. Gloria in excelsis Deo!