One week from today, Americans across all 50 states will sit down to a meal that is looked forward to all year long. Turkeys that are cooked to perfection will grace tables already overflowing with mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie. Families will be reunited and the meal will conclude in front of the TV - watching football - or in a room close by - playing board games.
All of these traditions are near and dear to my heart. Even describing them makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. These are things I'm grateful for, even though I rarely articulate it. I think that we, as Americans, feel that we are blessed. We know that we have much to enjoy and be thankful for, but we often fall into the trap of taking these things for granted. Sometimes I feel like it is impossible to choose one thing to be grateful for on 'Thankful Thursdays' (a tradition in our cafeteria - Thursday at lunch, before the employee swipes your card you have to list one thing you are thankful for). I find myself caught off guard and suddenly overwhelmed by all that I could say, to the point that I draw a blank. I don't think it's just me that feels this way.
But, especially as Christian, I have so much to be thankful for. Even though it is cliche, my number one thing is the death - the resurrection - of Christ. I have just finished a project examining Romans 8:26-39 and one of the sources that I consulted emphasized that the death of Christ is God's greatest gift to us. In the passage, it talks about how the Holy Spirit intercedes for us so that we can pray for the things that we ought to, and how God promises that all things will work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Without getting too caught up in the exegesis, I'd like to point out a couple things. First, those who love God is the qualifier for the "good," which is the end glorification of God and restoration to perfection. It is bigger than the one Christian, although God promises elsewhere things that do apply to the individual Christian's life. Second, those who love God and are called according to His purpose are those that serve Him and have been invited to share in the purpose - His glorification and the restoration of all things. The passage goes on to say that we have been chosen, that God knew before time who would choose to serve Him, and that we have been justified - made right with God through Christ - and will be conformed to the Image of Christ and glorified with Him.
The next part is what I have been turning over in my head, though. It talks about how no one can accuse the one that God has justified, and that the believer can be assured that there is no condemnation because, if God allowed Christ to suffer the full extent of His wrath (which has been discussed in the preceding chapters) and that He did not spare Him (which would have lessened His victory) we are secure in His love. Paul goes on to elaborate that there is absolutely nothing that can change that - the love of God in Christ Jesus conquers all things, and no force can overcome it.
In light of all this, this year's holiday season has me thinking about the marvelous gift of God - not that He called us, or that He loves us, or that He will glorify us, or that He works all things together for our good. The marvelous gift is that He did not spare any of His wrath from Jesus, that Jesus endured it, and that He rose from the dead. That is where we find salvation and security! So in light of this marvelous gift, which what I am most thankful for, I have to ask what my response should be.
One form that this pondering has taken lately stems from a question my Dad asked in some Christmas service in the past couple of years. He proposed the question: What would you give Jesus for Christmas? As I toss around this question in my mind, I cannot hit on the thing that I would like to do for Christ - not because I want to deserve the gift He gave me, but out of response to it. I've asked several people and I am not yet satisfied. In my mind, there are no restrictions on this gift, except that it must be broad (good for all people, not just one group), and it cannot be for the salvation of others - it is purely hypothetical. Some of the responses my Dad proposed were:
- a concentrated effort by the North American church to end world hunger
- increased Biblical literacy
- a great revival and increased evangelism
- an election that focused on real issues
- an end to the war in the middle east
- an end to the idolizing of self-ish and spoiled young ladies
Those are all great goals. They are all remedies for things that pain God. But I wonder what the most effective change would be. I keep coming back to Jesus. I feel like few people -few Christians - know the real Jesus and are serving Him. Too many people have been hurt by "Christians" and too much mud has been slung on the Christian name. Perhaps if Christians lived as they ought, it'd be a different story? Perhaps if they knew the God they were serving, it would change. For some reason I still am unsettled. Although hypothetical, I can't shake this question.
So I guess my proposition is this: If you could give Jesus any present this Christmas - not just material, but anything at all (minus the salvation of others), what would you give Him, in light of His sacrifice?
