“Christmas Gifts You Don’t Have To Wait to Open” – Sunday, December 10, 2023

Sermon Preached at Stouffville United Church
Rev. Capt. John Niles
Music by Daniel Mehdizadeh

……like it or not, waiting is part of the game of gift-giving. But there are some Christmas gifts you can unwrap right now, without any wait.

It’s was almost time to open the presents and a little boy wanted a wrist watch very badly for Christmas. Each day, the boy asked about his watch—“Dad can I please have a watch? Mom I really need a watch”, Every time he opened his mouth he was asking again or talking about a watch for Christmas. Finally the father told the boy that if he mentioned “watch” one more time, he wouldn’t get one. So the boy kept quiet about his present—until that night at supper. Every night before supper, some member of the family repeated a Bible verse before asking the blessing. The boy was eager to share the verse he had memorized that day, so just before they prayed, he recited Mark 13:37–“And what I say unto you, I say unto all–Watch.” Where and when will you open your presents? Some people open the presents on Christmas Eve. Others on Christmas morning. Some others will open their gifts at home, taken from their stocking or from under the tree. Others are opened at grandma and grandpa’s house, or the home of some other extended family or friends. You might be one of those parents who let the kids open all their gifts on Christmas Eve. Or perhaps you’re one of those sadistic parents (such as my wife and I) who make the kids wait until after breakfast on Christmas morning to tear into the wrapping paper. But like it or not, waiting is part of the game of gift-giving. But there are some Christmas gifts you can unwrap right now, without any wait. In Luke 2:10-14, we find 3 of these gifts God gave us through the birth of Jesus.

I

The first gift is freedom from fear. “Do not be afraid…” Everybody is scared of something. But we’re not all scared of the same thing. A recent survey asked people to list their # 1 fear. The fear of death was # 7. What was the # 1 fear? Speaking before an audience. That means that you’d rather be dead then do what I’m doing right now. Some fears are easy to cure: if you’re scared to fly, stay on the ground. Afraid of snakes? They’re easy to avoid if you really try. But other fears you must face. Being afraid of the future won’t stop the future from happening. Fear of losing those you love won’t allow you to hold on to them longer. Eventually everybody dies, no matter how it frightens you. How do you handle these kinds of fear? Jamie came to our house from an abusive home due to alcohol and drugs with just a bag that he never let out of his sight. When asked what was in it he said, “Things, just things.” He never let anyone look at it. He never let it out of his sight. It was always with him or close to him. During a Christmas pageant one year, he was asked to play one of the kings, but rather than use the pageants gift to place before Jesus he was seen bringing his bag of things and he proudly marched down the aisle in his full kingly robes. He placed his bag, when it was his turn, with a bow, on the floor before the infant Jesus. He then joined the rest of the children to sing. It was odd because he no longer looked nervously his back. He almost seems at peace and unconcerned with it out of his hands and sight. After the pageant he went off with the other children to play and never went to retrieve it. But I did. Later I asked him why he left his things and he said, “Because they were safe with Jesus now. Would you like to see my things? He placed with in the bag not only little trucks favorite toys, picture of his parents, some clothes and food; but also his, hopes, dreams and his fears and concerns and he laid them all at the feet of Jesus. Have you?

II

The gifts we don’t have to wait to unwrap are freedom from fear, and secondly fullness of joy. “I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord…” Christmas is supposed to be a season of joy. But joy is not always easy to come by, even at Christmas. Why is it so hard to be happy? Why do good times never last? Why is every bright day followed by dark clouds? Robert Louis Stevenson has said, “To miss joy, is to miss all.” Yet, few people would say that their lives are bubbling over with joy. Many would agree with Thoreau, who said, “that most people live lives of quiet desperation.” Where’s the joy?” Listen to how D. L. Moody describes this difference. “Happiness is caused by things that happen around me, and circumstances will mar it; but joy flows right on through trouble; joy flows on through the dark; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows all through persecution and opposition. It is an unceasing fountain bubbling up in the heart; a secret spring the world can’t see and doesn’t know anything about. The Lord gives His people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to Him.” You see, real joy, lasting joy, is more than just having fun, or pleasing our senses, or getting gifts. For that only lasts as long as the wrapping paper is on the gift. Joy is more than happiness. Garrison Keillor said: “Some people think it’s difficult to be a Christian and to laugh, but I think it’s the other way around. God writes a lot of comedy, it’s just that He has so many bad actors.”
Yet, that was not the cause in this morning’s Scripture. Though Mary was in a very difficult situation she sang for joy. She said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”

III

Three gifts you don’t have to wait to open up is freedom from fear, fullness of joy and finally peace. “Glory to God, peace on earth, good will toward men…” James Dobson relates a story of an elderly woman named Stella Thornhope who was struggling with her first Christmas alone. Her husband had died just a few months prior from cancer. Now, several days before Christmas, she felt terribly alone—so much so she decided she was not going to decorate for Christmas. Late that afternoon the doorbell rang, and there was a delivery boy with a box. He said, “Mrs. Thornhope?” She nodded. He said, “Would you sign here?” As she signed the paper she asked, “What’s in the box?” The young man laughed and opened up the flap, and inside was a little puppy. The delivery boy picked up the squirming pup and explained, “This is for you, Ma’am. He’s six weeks old, completely housebroken.” The young puppy began to wiggle in happiness at being released from captivity. “Who sent this?” Mrs. Thornhope asked. The young man set the animal down and handed her an envelope and said, “It’s all explained here in this envelope, Ma’am. The dog was bought last July while its mother was still pregnant. It was meant to be a Christmas gift to you.” In desperation she again asked, “Who sent me this puppy?” As the young man turned to leave, he said, “Your husband, Ma’am. Merry Christmas.” She opened up the letter from her husband. He had written it three weeks before he died and left it with the kennel owners to be delivered with the puppy as his last Christmas gift to her. The letter was full of love and encouragement and admonishments to be strong. He vowed he was waiting for the day when she would join him. He had sent her this young animal to keep her company until then. She wiped away the tears, put the letter down, and then remembering the puppy at her feet, she picked up that golden furry ball and held it to her neck. Then she looked out the window at the lights that outlined the neighbor’s house, and she heard from the radio in the kitchen the strains of “Joy to the World, the Lord has Come.” Suddenly Stella felt the most amazing sensation of peace washing over her. Her heart felt a joy and a wonder greater than the grief and loneliness “Little fella,” she said to the dog, “it’s just you and me. But you know what? There’s a box down in the basement I’ll bet you’d like. It’s got a little Christmas tree in it and some decorations and some lights. And there’s a manger scene down there. Let’s go get it.” She experienced the power of love that was even stronger then death itself.

As Jimmy Hendrix said, “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then we will have peace.” You think about that. Amen.