A Christmas Sermon Part 3

But for many of us, this gift of Christmasis meaningless. We get so caught up in all the business of this season, we get so caught up in our own giving, in our own business, that we forget about Jesus and the gift of salvation. This season is seen as more of a headache, than a gift of life. We turn God's gift of salvation into something we dismiss, something that we hate to see coming, because of all the work, all the things we say we have to do to make this a joyous season. We don't have to do anything to make this a joyous season, God has done that for us. What we do do this season, we should do out of love, out of an attitude of I want to do that as my response to the love of God. This should not be a season of burdens, but a season of joy, a season of excitement, because of the great gift God has given to each of us.

There is a story by 0. Henry that speaks of this attitude of giving unselfishly at Christmas, giving because one wants to respond to the great act of love by God. "A husband and wife wanted to give each other the gift that each respectively longed for. The husband wanted a chain for his water'. The wife wanted a pretty comb for her beautiful heir. Times were hard and money was scarce. So the husband secretly pawned his watch to buy the comb. At the same time the wife cut her hair and sold it to get money for a magnificent chain for her husband's watch. Christmas Eve should have been a catastrophe !!! But no. That which was expressed in this selfless giving of gifts was winding a golden chord of love around two people. For sacrificing love is the best gift of all."

God gave a sacrificing gift as Christmas, the gift or his son to this world. That gift brought to each of us the gift of salvation, the gift of living with God for eternity, the gift of eternal rest. God made a decision that would affect our lives forever. I imagine if we would visit with Tommy today, we would find that the decision that was made for him was a decision that made him happy day after day after day. I would also venture to say, that as Tommy experienced the love of these new parents for him, he also learned to love them in return. He responded to their great act of love. In the same kind of

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