I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts on Christmas and pray that it is a blessing to you. I want to start by telling you a story that may help illumine what I have to say.
It was a cold, wintery evening and the snow was out on the ground. A cold wind was blowing. A man was in his living room, sitting comfortably in his recliner. The heat was on and he had a cup of coffee on the table next to him and a newspaper in his hand. He was reading his newspaper and enjoying his coffee, when all of a sudden, he heard a tapping sound. It seemed like somebody was knocking. He tried to ignore it for a while but couldn't. Curiosity got the better of him and he finally got up from his chair, went to the window, pushed aside the drapes and noticed a little sparrow on the outside, pecking at the window desperately trying to come in, thinking that there was warmth inside and this was a way in out of the cold.
The man felt very sad and wondered what he could do. Then he realized that outside he had a barn, which was warm. And so he thought that he would go outside and show the bird towards the barn. So he walked out, went to the barn, opened the door and tried to shoo the bird into the direction of the barn, trying to show that it was warm. But the bird was frightened and just flew away.
The man came back in, sat in his chair, picked up his newspaper, had a couple of sips of his hot coffee. Then he heard the knocking again. Incessant tapping on the window! He let it go for a while, thinking there was nothing he could do, but he just couldn't ignore the little bird.
Finally he put the paper down and thought to himself: "What can I do?" Then he struck upon an idea. He said, "I'll take some breadcrumbs and sprinkle it like a pathway all the way to the barn and hope that the bird will follow that path." And that's what he did. He went to the kitchen, got some breadcrumbs and went out again into the cold. From the window he made a path all the way to the barn, hoping that the bird would understand what he was trying to do.
Then he came back in and sat down and picked up his newspaper to read. Once again – tap, tap, tap - on his window. This time he just put his newspaper down and looked with compassion towards the window, and frustration as well. He realized that there was nothing he could do. He thought to himself: if I was a little bird, then I could show this bird where the warmth was.
And suddenly it dawned on him. That was why Jesus came to earth. He came to show us the perfect way back to God. Wow! That dawning must come upon us as well, as we think about Christmas. That's the essence of Jesus' birth and what Christmas means.
The Bible says that He is Immanuel, which means, God with us. It means that we are not alone, but we have divinity with us. Sometimes as we go through festive seasons, especially the Christmas season, as you hear the carols, the gifts and all the other trappings, it's so easy to find yourself alone. Amidst all the smiling, one is really alone. Yet, the good news is that you are not alone. With Jesus' birth, he brings to us His presence—God with us.
Hope, love, joy and peace are themes of Christmas. But sometimes, we feel that there is no hope in the situations that we are facing. There's a sense of hopelessness that has enveloped us. Or even love. Maybe you don't feel loved today. Or maybe it's been a long time since you laughed, or a smile creased your face, one that came from the heart. Or maybe peace has been a long time coming. And yet, the message of Christmas is that with 'God with us', there can be hope, there can be love, there can be joy and there can be peace. That's the beauty of the gift that God has given us that we remember every Christmas.
Christina Rossetti wrote a poem many years ago which asks this question:
What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what can I give him? I'll give him my heart.
That poem just resonates with my spirit this morning. In the light of God's wonderful gift to us, to humanity, the gift of His Son is the reason for our celebration of Christmas. What can we give Him in return? And what a beautiful gift it would be if in return, we were to give Him our hearts, completely surrendered to Him? That's my prayer for me, for us, this Christmas season.
May I pray with you? Almighty God, we are humbled by Your wonderful gift to us. And even as we go through this season, I pray for those who are reading this post, who may not have hope, or peace, or joy, or love. You, Who are Immanuel, God with us will pour back into their hearts hope and joy and love and peace this Christmas season. And inspire us Lord, to give You our hearts completely surrendered to Your Holy will. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
• Christina Rossetti, "What can I give Him?" http://www.hymnary.org/text/what_can_i_give_him_poor_as_i_am
• Bible reference of "Immanuel"--Matthew 1:23
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