Have you started wrapping your presents yet? There
are many who are still shopping for Christmas and
begun the task of wrapping presents one by one.
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.
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.
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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] |
