December 24, 2006
Devotion shared by Rev. Donald Ng at the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.
Some of you are here just in time after doing some last minute shopping. Some of us are a bit tired from having been at church most of this morning and took a much needed nap this afternoon to be here tonight. There is a multitude of thoughts going through your heads right now: Did I remember all the gifts? Is there still enough time to wrap all those presents tonight? Will there be enough food for tomorrow’s dinner? Will our family manage to make it through the day together without fighting?
As we begin our service tonight, receive this gift of putting aside the “earthly things” and let your hearts be open to the precious gift of joy in the birth of the Christ Child. Quiet your minds to know that on this holiest of nights, God comes to be with you and with me.
Gift of Good News
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Mary wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. While the shepherds were out watching over their flock by night, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and naturally, they were terrified.
The angel told them to not be afraid because he was bringing “good news of great joy for all the people.” The good news announcement is that on this day in “the city of David, a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” The precious gift is Jesus Christ, our Savior, Messiah, and Lord. If you think that the Christmas present that you want this year may not be under the Christmas tree or in your stocking, know that God is giving you tonight the most precious gift of all—Jesus Christ.
It doesn’t really matter how many gifts under the Christmas tree have your name on it. It doesn’t even matter if you will be getting your Christmas wish. The most precious gift that you will receive is coming to you tonight—Jesus Christ. You can’t return it because it wasn’t you who bought it. You don’t have the gift receipt. It is God who got this gift for you and all you have to do is to graciously accept it. All the gifts under your Christmas trees don’t come close in comparison to this precious gift.
Three Things
When you accept and un-wrap this precious gift of Jesus Christ, this gift will enable you to do three things. It’s like getting a new vacuum cleaner that can vacuum carpets, sweep up hard floors, and dust your drapes.
If we accept the precious gift of Jesus Christ, he will show us how to love all people. Jesus came for everyone, including the lowly shepherds, including all of us. The shepherds were men who spent most of their time in the fields with the sheep, and were social outcasts. We would assume that kings and rabbis and scribes and other important people would be the ones to welcome the Christ child. But as we well know, that is not who God chose to be the first to know. These ordinary, everyday shepherds were the ones who found out, driving home the point that Christ came for rich and poor, known and unknown. The precious gift of Jesus Christ will lead us to love all people.
Secondly, this precious gift gives us hope. Tonight is a night of hope and anticipation. This is different from the anticipation of what presents we’re getting, or hoping that incoming family has a safe drive tomorrow. This is the night that brings bubbling to the surface a deep joy as we rejoice that Jesus Christ came to abide with us.
Although this is a night of hope, we live in a broken world. For some here tonight, it does not feel like a night of hope. Christmas is one of the most painful holidays for those who have lost loved ones (especially for those who lost children), for those who are estranged from their family, for those who are suffering with illness. The precious gift of Jesus Christ is joy that transcends wherever we may be. This joy is different from happiness, different from “having everything our way,” different from a perfect life. God did not promise us a perfect life. But in sending us the precious gift, God gave us eternal life with him.
Thirdly, when we accept this precious gift of Jesus Christ, we receive an anchor that firmly connects us with an unchanging God. So many things in our lives are beyond our control, and no matter what, things change. Although things in our lives change, God does not change. God is there loving us and watching over us even in the midst of headache and pain.
On Easter and Christmas Eve, we see our active members, our not-so-active members, and members we had forgotten were even in our church directory. In one sense, we could say that it has become a “tradition” to come to church on Christmas Eve, much like buying gifts for all the members in your family. But I believe it is more than that. People come because in this changing society and with our changing lives, people come wanting to hear the single greatest precious unchanging truth—Jesus Christ came to earth in order to save us from our sins. Only God was there yesterday, is here today, and will be here tomorrow.
Christmas Parable
Mt gift to you is this story. About 30 years ago a boy named Tony was born blind. However, when he was about seven years old, his doctor read in the New England Journal of Medicine of a new surgical procedure that showed some promise for correcting his particular eye problem. A young surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston had developed it and so the local doctor and the surgeon began communicating. The boy’s full medical record was sent and in time a decision was made to try the surgery.
Tony, the boy, had a favorite teddy bear which he kept with him at all times. This teddy bear had begun to show signs of wear. One eye was missing; one ear was chewed off; and the stuffing was oozing out through several holes. Tony’s mother had offered to buy him a new bear, but he didn’t want a new one. So, the old one went with him to Boston and remained close through all the x-rays, tests and consultations. In fact, the boy and his teddy bear were not separated until the anesthesia was applied for the surgery itself.
When the surgery was completed, Tony was heavily bandaged and had to remain still for a number of days. But each day the surgeon was in and out of the room to encourage him.
Finally the day came for removing the bandages. For the first time in seven years Tony could see. Though his vision was blurred at first, it gradually clarified and for the first time Tony could look into the faces of his parents.
Before long it was time for Tony to be discharged and to go home. On that final morning which happens to be Christmas Eve, the surgeon signed the necessary discharge papers and he gave Tony a big hug and said, “Listen, I own stock in you. I expect to get a letter from you regularly. Do you understand?”
Then Tony did something totally unexpected. He said to his surgeon friend, “I want you to have this,” and handed him his teddy bear. The surgeon’s first impulse was to say, “Oh no, I can’t take that.” But something stopped him. With a spirit of Christmas on his mind, the surgeon understood what Tony was trying to do. He wanted to give his dear surgeon-friend the most precious gift that he had, so full was his heart with love. The wise surgeon accepted the teddy bear with a hug and a thank you, assuring Tony that he would take mighty good care of his friend.
For over ten years that teddy bear sat in a glass case on the 10th floor of Massachusetts General Hospital—one eye missing, one ear chewed off and stuffing oozing out of several holes. In front of the teddy bear was the surgeon’s card and just beneath his name he had written this caption: “This is the highest fee I have ever received for professional services rendered.” A little boy had given the most precious item he had, out of a love-filled heart.
This is a parable of Christmas. Two thousand years ago our gracious God, with a heart filled with love, looked out upon a sin-marred, tear-stained world. Had you and I have been in charged we might have destroyed the whole mess and started over. But God’s great heart was too full of love to allow that. So he gave us the most precious gift at his disposal; he gave himself.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Let us pray.