Giving the Best Gift

This week we are talking about giving the gift of Jesus Christ to our family and friends. God promised the gift of Jesus Christ to King David. Last week we learned about celebrating the gift of Jesus Christ. Today, we are going to talk about the gift of Jesus Christ and share it with the world.

Are you like me at Christmas? We buy a few really good Christmas presents. We find places to hide the presents in our home. I put some of the presents in my attic or in my dresser or in my closet under clothes that I don’t wear anymore. The hiding places are so good that I almost can’t find the presents on Christmas Eve.

We hide the really good presents that God gives us, too. The gift of Jesus Christ is hidden deep in our heart. We risk not even opening the gift of Jesus Christ on Christmas morning. The gift of Jesus Christ is hidden in our closet under some unused clothing, too. We have good plans to find that most precious present and give it to our friends and family, but we get distracted.

We can’t find the most precious present at Wal-Mart, the dollar stores, Target or at the shopping malls. The most precious gift cannot be purchased. The most precious gift is free. God gave his only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross so that the price for our salvation would be free. The most precious gift can’t be found under a Christmas tree unless we remember that Christ is inside of our Christmas tree.

I’ve had a lot of conversations this week about the gift of Jesus Christ. There are so many people who are experiencing trials and tribulations. Susan and I have our share of heartache and pain. I’m mourning the death of my brother-in-law, Dave Haldaman. It was a reminder to me that life is very short and precious. The funeral service was a wonderful celebration of Dave’s life preached by Rev. Brad Dulaney.

In Matthew 11:25-30 Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. 27"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” “29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Jesus is offering in Matthew 11:29 to take our heavy burdens, our fears, our pain, and our heartache. My lovely wife Susan, loves the translation from the Message for Matthew 28-30: 28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

We are worn out because we’ve tried to handle all of the problems of this world by ourselves. Jesus Christ will give us a real rest. Jesus Christ can take all of our burdens and troubles off of our shoulders. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Walking with Jesus Christ is the way to learn the unforced rhythms of grace. If the troubles of this world are getting you down, you need the unforced rhythms of grace in your life.
I’ve told several people this week that it is much easier if we have God at the center of our lives. In our weakness, God makes us strong. God can make our lives so much better than it is without him. Last Sunday, I had an unexpected “God moment.” I had a lot of business after church. We talked about the Pastor and Parrish Relations Committee business. We talked about decorating the church for Christmas. I talked about driving a friend to Bedford to accomplish a long awaited goal.

The church was almost empty last Sunday when someone asked me to listen. The person told me about all of the troubles and heartache that the family is experiencing. I listened. I felt the family’s pain as I heard the story. My heartache is different, but the same. We talked until all of the pain was out on the table. It was at that moment I said that their family needed Jesus Christ in their life. The troubles and heartaches are too great to handle without Jesus Christ.

I talked with my friend about the unforced rhythms of grace. I asked if the person had been baptized and I was told the answer was yes. I learned that they were living and walking alone. They weren’t walking with Jesus by their side. They had forgotten to include Jesus in their life. The problems in their life were so heavy that the weight was bringing them so much pain.

I realized that the person needed to be anointed with oil. I looked in my Bible case and bag for my anointing oil, but couldn’t find it. We were sitting at the kitchen at New Hope UMC so I reached for the vegetable oil on the counter. I poured some of the vegetable oil into a cup. I took the oil and anointed the person’s forehead with oil in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I asked that the family who had been waiting outside the kitchen door to come in. They laid their hands on their loved ones shoulder.
I said a simple prayer for the love of Jesus Christ to cover the person and their family. I asked God to take their burdens. I asked for their fear and worry to be replaced with faith and belief in Jesus Christ. Fear cannot exist if we place our trust in the faith of Jesus Christ. Worry is unnecessary if we believe that Jesus can carry our burdens because we will receive the grace of Jesus Christ in our lives.

It was an ordinary prayer up until the moment that I stopped praying. It was at that time that the Holy Spirit took over. We experienced exactly what Romans 8:26 assures us. “In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Holy Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” The Holy Spirit prayed with such power and might that we all felt God’s presence with us. We felt God’s love in a powerful and wonderful way.

The person who came to talk was transformed. The broken person was made whole with a wonderful pouring of the Holy Spirit’s love over our bodies and our hearts. It felt like we were under a waterfall except the waterfall had been changed into a waterfall of God’s love. We were drenched in God’s love. We felt God’s assurance that he would lift the burdens from our shoulders and carry not only our burdens but also us. Wow!

The name Emmanuel is used a lot during Christmas time. It is translated into English as “God is with us.” God was with us as we prayed. God is real. God was truly with us as we prayed for him to take the heartache and our burdens from our shoulders and shower us with God’s grace.

We experienced Christmas yesterday at the high school. Wayne, Jewel, Dakota, Irene, Milton, and I packaged meals along with about three hundred and fifty people. It felt like Christmas. We are feeding people around the world. If we help others, it is easier for us to forget our troubles. If we help others, we continue on our walk with Jesus Christ.

Do you realize that God is present in a powerful way at our church? We’ve celebrated baptism in a wonderful and magnificent way. People are being transformed because they are coming back to God. We are willing to turn our lives over to Jesus Christ. Last Sunday’s experience after church is another confirmation that something amazing is happening to us.

It is time to bring our family back to church. Joshua said that he and his family would worship the Lord. It is time for us to make the same promise to dedicate our families to God. I am asking you to pray for your family members who are not in church. I am asking you to pray with faith for your family members who have moved away from God.

It is time to experience a harvest. In Luke 10:2, Jesus tells us "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” It is time for us to live these words. The harvest field in America is plentiful. There are many people who are hurting right now. Why don’t we give them the gift that will help them overcome their problems? Why don’t we give them the gift of Jesus Christ?

We have so many family and friends who don’t have a personal relationship with God. Can we make a prayer list of our family and friends who need to have God in their lives? I’ve been inspired by Richard’s walk with Jesus this year. He shows us what is possible when we just give God thirty days. Let’s give our families the gift of Jesus Christ for the next thirty days to celebrate Christmas. The gift of Jesus Christ is a present that we need to give to everyone that we know and love.

I’ve seen a country hit rock bottom and turn to Jesus Christ. I’ve also seen a person hit rock bottom and turn to Jesus Christ. The result is nothing short of a miracle. The impossible becomes possible. The heartache and pain turns into faith and joy. We have the best gift to give to our friends and family this Christmas season. It is a free gift that can be given over and over again. In fact, the more we give the gift of Jesus Christ, the more that Jesus Christ is real in us.

I feel God in amazing ways when I pray and when I preach. I feel God flow through my body when I lay hands on someone to pray. It is like being in heaven for a few moments during that prayer because we are in the full and complete presence of God. I want everyone to experience God in that way. God has given us a wonderful gift if we just accept it in our heart.

I tell stories about God in Africa because that was where I saw God work in amazing ways. Now, we are seeing God work in amazing ways in our lives right here at home. Our scripture tells us that God will give us the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We can feel God in ways that are beyond our imagination when we are willing to be used to serve God with our gifts and talents.

Philippians 1:3-11 was written by the Apostle Paul, but it is my prayer for you today. “3I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

“7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

I know that the work that God has started in each of you will grow until we see the fruits of the Holy Spirit in you. The heartache and pain will be a distant memory. Faith, hope, love, and joy will be what you remember. It will be difficult to remember the hard times because God’s blessings and joy will overcome the dark and painful times.

In John 16:33, Jesus tells us “33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Jesus promises us peace, love, and joy. We must have Jesus Christ at the center of our lives. We also have a responsibility to share the love of Jesus Christ with everyone that we know and love. We have a gift in our heart that we must also give to the least and the lost.

Please remember to wrap the gift of Jesus Christ today. Give the gift of Jesus Christ to everyone that you know and even those that you don’t know yet. Our fears and worries will be taken by Jesus. Jesus will carry us on our journey when we are weak. Our pain will be replaced with dancing and singing of God’s praises. If we realize that Jesus is the best gift that we can give, why haven’t we given the gift of Jesus Christ to all mankind yet?

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that Jesus Christ has commanded you; and lo, Jesus Christ is with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen!” (Matthew 28:19-20)