The Gifts that Jesus Brings

Look at this calendar! Can you believe it? We are only a few days from Christmas! (Count the days remaining until Christmas.) Have you finished all of your Christmas shopping? The newspaper will be full of ads for those who have some last-minute shopping to do.

I did some research to see what the top-selling gifts are this year. Here are just a few of the most popular gifts for kids:

• Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? - This is a game that pits the kids against the grownups to see who is the smartest. You kids already know the answer to that question, don't you? Sure you do.


• Baby Annabell - Girls will love playing mommy with the all new Baby Annabell doll. Watch her fall asleep and cry real tears. Wow! That is almost like having a baby sister.


• Barbie Girls - It's not just a doll, it is a Barbie-shaped MP3 player! I wonder if they have a Ken model for the boys?


• Flytech Dragonfly - A remote control flying insect. Oh, what fun! Next year they will probably have a remote control fly swatter.


• Puppy Grows and Knows Your Name - Feed and care for your very own puppy! Watch it grow from a puppy to a full-sized dog in just four days. I wonder if it digs up the flower beds?

Well, those may be some of the best-selling gift items that children will find under their Christmas tree this year, but they don't compare with the gifts which we receive from the Christ of Christmas.

In our Bible lesson today we learn that John, even though he was in prison, was hearing about all of the wonderful things that Jesus was doing. He sent a message to Jesus by some of his friends. "Ask Jesus if he is the Messiah we have been expecting, or should we continue to watch for someone else?"

When Jesus was asked the question, he answered, "Return to John and tell him what you have seen and heard. You have seen the blind receive their sight, the crippled and lame are able to walk, those with leprosy are being cured, the deaf are able to hear. Even the dead have been raised and the good news is being preached to the poor."

If you were blind, what better gift could you receive than to be able to see? If you were crippled, what better gift could you receive than to be able to walk? If you were dead, what better gift could you receive than the gift of life? Oh, by the way, that last gift I mentioned... the gift of life. That is the real meaning of Christmas. Jesus came to earth to give us life -- eternal life! What a gift!

Father, every good gift we receive comes from you. The greatest gift is eternal life brought down to us through your Son. Father, we thank you. Amen.

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