The story of the Christmas nativity is the story of God’s gift to humankind. Three points:
Christmas is about a gift. God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son. God did not sell us the Son. God did not demand that we earn the Son. God gave us the Son. Christmas is about a gift, no strings attached, nothing required in return.
Christmas is about a gift we need. A lot of the gifts we receive at Christmas, we don’t really need. Jesus we need. A savior we need. A messiah we need. The Prince of Peace we need. We need Jesus because there are some things we cannot do for ourselves. We can’t justify ourselves. We can’t forgive our own sins. We can’t solve the problems of the world by ourselves. We need a savior. We need Jesus.
Christmas is about a gift we need, but we need to accept he gift. In the nativity story, the holy family arrived in Bethlehem, but there was no room in the inn. There never is. The world is never ready to receive Jesus. The world is never ready to accept the gift. The point is that you have to make an intentional decision to accept the gift God has given you. God has offered you forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life. You need to decide whether you will accept the gift. You need to decide whether you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
In our sermon at our Christmas Eve Service, we will talk about the nativity and God’s gift to humankind.