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 Wrapping presents for many families is part of the holiday fun,
along with decorating trees, cooking and shopping. It’s a time of
cheer that gives us a hint of what life will be without the troubles
that make life so difficult.
A part of this seasonal spirit is the idea of wrapping presents. To
some it is just a waste of time; they simply hand their gift to
someone unwrapped. The idea behind wrapping a present is to conceal
the contents until the right time. When the right moment comes there
is an outburst of joy we share when we discover what has been hidden
behind the beautiful paper.
Did you know that God conceals a few things from us for the same
reason? He doesn’t tell us what’s in His bag of goodies for us in
the future. It’s as if He intentionally hides a few things until the
right time.
In fact, 1Cor. 13:12 says:
“for now, we see
through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part;
but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
It’s as if all of life is a great present given to us by God that we
unwrap one by one each day.
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Just as each gift we receive was picked out and wrapped ahead of
time, God has a few goodies for us too that He plans to give us when
the time is right. Some we have already received; there are still
many to go.
On the first Christmas morning, there was no Christmas. The air was
cold, the ground was hard, and accommodations for a young man and
his wife were limited. Yet, in a little town called Bethlehem, a
mother by the name of Mary presented to the world a gift that had
been wrapped by God himself before the beginning of time.
As Christians, we join the millions who will prepare gifts of love
for family and friends. However, none of the gifts we prepare can
compare with the gift that God gave the world on the first Christmas
morning.
Remember, my friends to sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus.
Shalom.
[Rev. Glenn Shelton of Second Baptist
Church in Lincoln] |
