The Gift of Us

Marjorie Tallcott was married and had one child during the Great Depression.  The family managed to scrape their way through, but as Christmas approached one year Marjorie and her husband were disappointed that they would not be able to buy any presents.  A week before Christmas they explained to their six year old son, Pete, that there would be no store-bought presents this Christmas.  “But I’ll tell you what we can do,” said Pete’s father, “we can make pictures of the presents we’d like to give to each other.”

That was a busy week.  Marjorie and her husband set to work.  Christmas Day arrived and the family rose to find their skimpy little tree made magnificent by the picture presents they had adorned it with.  There was luxury beyond imagination in those pictures – a black limousine and red speedboat for Dad, a diamond bracelet and fur coat for Mom, a camping tent and a swimming pool for Pete.

Then Pete pulled out his present: a crayon drawing of a man, a woman and a child with their arms around each other laughing. Under the picture was just one word: “US”.

Years later Marjorie writes that it was the richest, most satisfying Christmas they ever had.

It took a present-less Christmas to remind Marjorie and her family that the greatest gift we can ever offer is ourselves, our presence. *

Our sins separate us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2) and place us on the path to eternal destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).

But God loves us so much that He offers to us “His Presence.”  God put on human flesh in the Person of Jesus (John 1:14) to come and live among us and then to go to the cross as our perfect representative to die for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Because of His atoning sacrifice, we may have salvation from our sins (Ephesians 1:7), the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23), and the presence of His indwelling Spirit (Acts 2:38).

In order to accept God’s offer of salvation and eternal life, we must place our faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38).  Then, as we walk in the light of His Word, the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us from sin (1 John 1:7).

Jesus came to this world and died for us so that God and we can become “US” – reconciled to God and together in God’s family with the hope of living eternally with Him in heaven.

Won’t YOU accept God’s offer on His terms?

-- David A. Sargent

* Source: Reported in Illustrations Unlimited and quoted in StoriesforPreaching.com

David A. Sargent, Minister