The Greatest Gift by ems 12/25/21
29th Day of Advent ~ Christmas Day!
Week 4: Love (or adoration) ~ Light 3 purple candles and 1 pink candle
And 1 Center White Christmas candle
Advent Hymn 🎼 Mary’s Little Boy Child 🎶
This 1956 song written by American composer Jester Hairston was initially written for a friend’s birthday party and updated later with new lyrics. A favorite carol for many peoples, this has been translated into at least six different languages, including Finnish, Swedish, Dutch, Filipino, and Sinhala, the primary language of Sri Lanka. The Greatest Christmas gift stated in this song is “man will live forevermore because of Christmas Day.” What a wonderful reminder of why Christ came; to redeem us from sin and death!
Long time ago in Bethlehem
So the Holy Bible say
Mary’s Boy Child, Jesus Christ
Was born on Christmas Day!
While shepherds watched their flocks by night
They saw a bright new shining star
And heard a choir from heaven sing
The music came from afar
Hark! Now hear the angels sing:
“New King’s born today
And man will live forevermore
Because of Christmas Day!”
Now Joseph and his wife, Mary
Came to Bethlehem that night.
They found no place to bear her Child,
Not a single room was in sight.
Hark! Now hear the angels sing:
“New King’s born today
And man will live forevermore
Because of Christmas Day!”
By and by, they found a little nook
In a stable all forlorn.
And in a manger cold and dark
Mary’s Little Boy/Child was born
Trumpets sound, and angels sing,
Listen to what they say!
That man will live forevermore
Because of Christmas Day!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” ~ John 3:16 -21
Gift-giving involves the giver and the receiver. Too often, the meaning behind the gift is lost in the wrapping or the expensive gift and quickly forgotten. God’s indescribable gift, Jesus, was given so uniquely. Through His gift, He manifested unconditional love for all time.
The Greatest Gift by ems 12/25/21
The amazing love of God is so great it had to be expressed more than just the love shared in the Trinity relationship between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The overflow of that love is all of creation, with the ultimate design being humans created in His image to reflect God’s perfect love and have fellowship with Him.
We can reflect in some small way most of the attributes of God.
Yet because of the entrance of sin into the world through the earth’s original people,
Adam & Eve in Eden’s Garden, that reflection is tarnished.
The once beautiful intimate relationship with God broke when Adam and Eve chose to eat of the tree in the center of the garden from which God forbade them.
By consuming from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they sought to be like God, yet were deceived. A second tree was nearby – the tree of life – which God prevented them from eating after this sin. If they had, Adam and Eve would live forever in sin. So, God separated them not only from the tree but the garden and Himself.
Like Adam & Eve, we cannot fully connect to God; sin’s separation limits us. But God in His mercy was not satisfied with this decay and sent the greatest gift of all.
God knew we needed to be redeemed, bought back from sin’s dead-end entanglement. So, the only acceptable price was a perfect, sinless sacrifice of the One God the Father held most dear, His One and Only Son.
Rather than allow us to die in our sins, He sent Jesus to die on another tree for us – the cross. Jesus’ death was the entire payment for our sin. But the victory of that sacrifice came three days later when Jesus rose from the dead – the victory over death and Satan.
Through these days of Advent readings, we have prepared our hearts to celebrate God’s greatest gift. Amidst the searching, securing, and wrapping of presents for others in this season before Christmas day, I hope you have learned a little of what God did for us.
The Greatest Gift:
FOR unto us, a child is born, unto us a Son is
GIVEN ~ Isaiah 9:6
A Son is given so we can be FORGIVEN… there’s nothing greater than that.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Thank You for sending The Greatest Gift of all time.
Not secured with money, but with pure blood, once for all, for every heart that believes. Thank You for visiting my heart. Freely I have received, and so freely I share Your eternal hope with others.
I love you, Abba. Thank you for sending Jesus, Your Indescribable Gift!
*** If you want to learn more about how to connect to the Living God,
feel free to email me at: EnglishISpeak@aol.com
BLESSINGS to you! And Merry Christmas!
Gleanings From Heaven's Gate 