Have you heard about the young woman who lived on a large ranch in West Texas? She had fallen in love with a local cowboy named Tex. And she wanted to get married. But Texas was inexperienced in the world of romance, and to make matters worse, he was extremely shy. She realized that she needed to help him a bit to move this courtship along so she took matters into her own hands. “Oh, Tex,” she said, “Do you think my eyes are like glittering stars?” “Yes,” he replied. “And,” she asked, “do you think my teeth are like a beautiful string of pearls?” “Yep,” he answered. “And do you think my complexion is like gorgeous rose petals?” she questioned. “Yep,” he answered. “And do you think my hair shines like gold in the moonlight?” “Yep,” he answered. “Oh, Tex,” she exclaimed, “You do say the most wonderful things!”
Well, let me tell you something: Christmas has some wonderful things to say to us. Christmas has some wonderful things to do for us. Christmas has some wonderful things to give to us. But we have to have the ears of faith to hear them, the eyes of faith to see them, the heart of faith to feel them, and the grace to accept them.
We know that we live in a world of violence, cruelty, hate, and distrust. But we also know that violence only breeds more violence, and hate poisons the soul. Resentment, jealousy, bigotry, prejudice can destroy a person. God knows this.
And so God sent Jesus to come into this world to show us how to be peacemakers, bridge-builders, reconcilers; how to seek forgiveness, and to offer it. And God did this not for himself, but because of God’s love for us.
Everybody is somebody in the eyes of God. That is why God sent to this world Jesus to be part of us “not to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.”
And God did this because of God’s very nature which is love. From the heart of the Creator straight into our lives comes that tiny baby all wrapped up in swaddling clothes sleeping in a manger, surrounded by his mother, Mary, and his father, Joseph, and cattle and sheep and shepherds, and later, wise men, and above them lingers a star and angels singing in the heavens.
In this scene, we see a glimpse of why this world was created. It was created for love–God’s love for us. Because we keep on ignoring God, God came to us. And because God came to us, everything is forever changed. And we are never the same again. This world is never the same again.
It was two days before Christmas. There was a long line at the post office as people were trying frantically to use overnight mail to get Christmas packages to people on time. A woman with three little girls in tow finally reached the counter. “Can you get this package by tomorrow?” she asked. “I can, lady, but it will cost you.” “How much?” “It will be more than a hundred pesos.” “Gracious,” she said, “that’s a lot, but I’ve got to do it. This present is for my father. It has to be there before Christmas because you see, Christmas is also his birthday.” “What a bum deal, that is!” said the postal clerk. “I sure am glad I don’t know anyone born on Christmas.” Someone in the line spoke up. “I sure am glad I do!”
Do you know the one born on Christmas day? Maybe you have a friend who was born on Christmas day named Joy or Christy, or Belen. But do you know this One who came to visit and redeem and save? As what the Christmas song says, let the Christ “be born in your heart today”?
