Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Listen to the Word

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)

God so loved that he gave. His love was more than a feeling he had toward us. It led him to act on our behalf. It led him to give the first and best Christmas gift.

The thing about gifts is that the cost falls to the giver. If I give you a “gift” of a new sweater and then say, “That will be fifty dollars, please” – that’s not a gift. That’s a business transaction. If it were a gift, then I would pay for it, and you would receive it.

What God gives is a gift. It is free to us, but costly to him. We don’t deserve it, but God doesn’t give it to us because we are good. He gives it because he is good.

The gift God freely gives us is the gift of his one and only Son, sent to rescue us. The baby in the manger – the Divine One in diapers – was God’s gift to you.

Live the Word

Tell God thanks for the many gifts he has given you, starting with the gift of his Son.