Sermon 29th December 2019 – 1st
Sunday after Christmas
Text - Matthew 2:13-23 – God’s gift of love
(don’t waste it).
The gifts have been received and opened;
The recycling bin is filled with gift
wrapping that once made an ordinary gift seem extra special.
Our family and friends have come and
returned home.
All that is to come as a reminder of
Christmas is the Credit Card statement.
Soon we will start counting down again till
next Christmas
The past month has included the busiest
days and weeks of the year for many of us.
It is no wonder if we feel tired today and
maybe there is a sense of relief that it is all over for another year – and a
bonus, it’s a leap year next year so we get an extra day’s relief.
It has been a hectic couple of weeks but slowly
our lives will return to normal, as we settle back into our regular routines.
We have celebrated Jesus’ birth which is
always a special time despite the stress and pressure of trying to get
everything done in time.
Christmas is special because it reminds us
that God has not forgotten about us and never will.
Jesus is God’s gift to each one of us –
Immanuel – God with us.
But what will we do with that gift?
We have 3 options:
First Add
it to the pile of gifts
We seem to live in a time when we have
everything we need.
With credit cards and ready access to cash,
if we want something we go and buy it.
While that’s handy, it makes it very hard
to buy things as gifts these days as the people we buy for seem to have
everything.
So we either buy them some sort of novelty
gift with no real use, or we buy them a gift card from the many hundreds of
places that offer them.
In fact when you go to Coles or Woolworths
they have all the companies available.
You just pick the one you want and take it
to the checkout so you don’t have to go out of
your way to buy one.
This way they can get their own present to
the value that you place on the card.
The problem is that many of those gift
cards just get put away because we don’t need them straight away – and we
forget about them.
That’s often how we treat the gift of
Jesus.
We have so much in our lives, do we really
value what Jesus brings to our lives.
Do we really need him?
We put him away and forget about him.
We get on with life and just take him out if
we need him.
Or we just leave the gift card lying around
unused.
A gift card that is not used is just a
piece of plastic.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a $5 gift card or
a $500 gift card – it’s the same amount of plastic if it’s not used.
Likewise if we don’t use Jesus in our life
then he is just as useful as that bit of plastic.
Sometimes when we do actually receive a
gift, we don’t really value the gift or use the gift as the giver intended.
If we know the giver of the gift is going
to visit, we madly scramble to find their gift and put it on display.
That’s often how we treat God’s gift of
Jesus to us.
Bring him out at Christmas and Easter, but
for the rest of the year we’ll pack him away.
God gave us Jesus to bring hope and peace
and meaning to our lives.
Not just at Christmas, but every day of our
life.
Are you using Jesus in your life or is he
just lying around unused like many of our bibles?
Second Return
it
Probably the 2nd busiest day in
the retail calendar is the day after Christmas.
But it’s not just at the checkout for the
Boxing Day Sales but the returns counter.
People who have received a gift that is the
wrong size – the wrong colour – or just not wanted.
So too God comes to us at times in ways
that we don’t like or expect.
Israel certainly didn’t expect their
promised King to come born in a feeding trough in the back shed, born to an
unmarried commoner.
And remember John the Baptist a few weeks
ago was looking for a refund.
Are you the one or should we be waiting for
someone else.
Many today have returned God for a refund.
They have neglected their baptism and
confirmation vows.
They have lapsed from worship.
But that is because we expect God to be a
certain way.
We were created in God’s image but we try
to recreate God in our image.
But that’s exactly what God did at
Christmas.
He sent his Son in our image.
Born as we are born.
Living the life we live.
Struggling – experiencing pain and
rejection.
All this so we have a God who understands
what we go through so he can give us hope.
If anyone should be seeking a refund, maybe
it’s God.
But he doesn’t because he loves us.
When you receive a gift, the value is in
the love that purchased that gift for you.
If you return it, the gift you receive or
the refund you receive don’t have the love.
When we replace Jesus in our lives, we
might find something that gives us pleasure but we don’t have the love that
Jesus offers.
Jesus may not always be or do what you are
looking for, but he loves you more than anyone or anything else can.
Third Use it
The third option we have is to use the gift
given to us.
To cherish it and honour it.
There is no greater joy to the giver of a
gift than to see a child’s eyes open wide and the smile beam as the wrapping
comes off the gift.
And then to see the child run off and play
with the gift.
They may be so excited that they run off
without saying thank you.
But you don’t mind.
The smile and enjoyment is the thanks.
Sometimes I forget to say grace before a
meal.
Sometimes I go to bed and I am just so
tired that I fall asleep during my prayers or before saying them.
Sometimes I’m just not in the mood to read
a devotion.
But God doesn’t mind.
He understands.
He looks at us with so much joy and
pleasure.
He’s not up there like a strict school
teacher who is going to slap your hand if you don’t remember to say please or
thank you.
He is there to be with you wherever you go
and whatever you do.
And he has given to you his Son Jesus to be
with you – to support you – to guide you – to use in whatever way you need to
use him
To speak with him – to unload your
frustrations on him – to just have someone at your side when you need him.
He is Immanuel – God with us.
Jesus is God’s gift to you.
May you receive Jesus with joy and use him
for your needs and your enjoyment and share the joy with others.
And unlike other gifts, you can’t break
him.
You can’t wear him out.
And wherever you go, he will be with you.
Enjoy God’s special gift to you – Jesus
Christ his Son.
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