MEDITATION:
Written by Sheryl Dawson, a contemporary author.k “The Characters of Christmas.”
Christmas is a favorite time for us all to give and receive gifts. Forty five percent of consumer merchandise is sold during the Christmas season. When we buy at Christmas, we spend big dollars on clothes, electronics, jewelry and a vast array of personal items. Our intentions are generous as we seek to please our family and friends with material gifts we believe they will enjoy and appreciate… But all of these gifts and their wrappings pale in the light of the greatest gift of all times, a gift wrapped in swaddling clothes. Over two thousand years ago, Jesus was born as God’s gift to all mankind…Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies in his birth and life and death and resurrection! God’s gift was carefully planned, immaculately conceived, meticulously prepared, and miraculously delivered! … Jesus, the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, was the gift of grace, salvation freely given. No strings or ribbons attached. No qualifications or requirements demanded. No exclusions or returns dictated. Grace… undeserved, unencumbered, unbelievable! This was the heart of the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes. All one need do to receive this gift of grace is to accept it. Simple. A gift that will last not a year, not a decade, not merely our earthly lifetime, but will last for eternity. Our relationship with Jesus is for the here and now as He resides in our hearts, and for eternity when we shall pass from this earth-bound body to eternal existence with Him in the spirit. This is truly a gift of peace, of joy, of hope. Jesus reinstated all the privileges of the original Garden-of-Eden relationship between God and Adam and Eve. Through Jesus, we can commune with God — seek His face, walk with Him, and talk with Him. This incredible gift simply accepted brings peace where there is dissension, joy where there is depression, and hope where there is despair. Grace, like the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, is a gift given in humility. With like humility, a gift simply received. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the activity and glitter and festivity of the season that we miss the simplicity yet profoundness of the original Christmas story. As you prepare your carefully selected gifts for Christmas this year, consider the greatest gift of all. Have you received the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes — the gift of grace? If so, take time this season to praise Him for his matchless gift and share it with another. If not, take time to consider the value of this precious gift. All the gifts ever given around the world, are merely chaff blown by the winds of time when balanced against the eternal weight of salvation by grace. Accept the priceless gift wrapped in swaddling clothes this Christmas and receive abundant and eternal peace, joy, and hope.
SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:7
MUSIC VIDEO: A King in Swaddling Clothes
Performed by Hal Leonard and the Shawnee Press Church Chorale
Pathways Press.com 