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CHRISTIANS MAKE A DIFFERENT CHRISTMAS LIST #1

 EVERYBODY GETS A BIBLE THIS YEAR

A story just came in with the Christmas mail, so to speak, and we want to give proper credit here to both the Dubuque Herald/Telegraph — an anecdote from December 20, 1996,  and also to Leadership magazine, where we noticed the reprint in their “Illustrations” section.  Here it is, verbatim as we read it ourselves:

“In 1994, Alex Dovales was drifting toward Miami on a rickety boat with 27 other Cubans.  Two years later, Dovales saw 14 exhausted, penniless Cuban rafters wash ashore on Key Largo and ‘(quote) felt like I had just arrived here myself.’ The 25-year-old dishwasher, who clears $197 per week, walked home and gathered all the presents from under his Christmas tree.  He gave the shirts and other clothing to the new arrivals.  ‘They were wet and cold,’ explained Henry Paez, Dovales’ roommate.  ‘Alex took off his shirt and gave it to them.’”

That’s a nice story, isn’t it?  Perfect for us here as we reflect a little bit with you just six days before Christmas.  We certainly find the spirit of Christmas in what this Alex Dovales did: giving away those presents and then even the shirt off his back.

Our title for the week is this: CHRISTIANS MAKE A DIFFERENT CHRISTMAS LIST.  And maybe you wonder if our Florida story is a good fit; after all, there’s no indication that this young dishwasher there in Key Largo is a Christian believer.  But there’s certainly no argument about the fact that he demonstrated Christian virtues on that beach; he acted according to the spirit of Jesus.

Should a person who’s dedicated his or her life to Jesus Christ GIVE differently than others at Christmastime?  Would you make out your shopping list a different way when you have a relationship with the Christ child?  With six days left to go, maybe you think this topic is coming along too little, too late . . . but it’s still food for thought both now and as we head into 2000.  What will be different about the shopping experiences of the men and women of God?

For the next five days I’d like to put the obvious answer in front of you, and then invite you to think with me about some of the applications of that.  Obviously, we would suggest to you here on the radio that the Christian wants to infuse his or her giving with one thing: Jesus.  Every gift, every card you send, every party you host, every package you wrap . . . wouldn’t it be a wonderful Christmas 2000 if somehow the person of Jesus Christ could be a part of our giving?

Think back with a bit of nostalgic memory recall to the Christmas where someone gave you that unforgettable present.  I mean, this was THE most RIGHT gift for you.  It was exactly what you’d always wanted, and as you saw that package, you knew instantly that you were going to use this one for just years and years and years to come.  It was almost a “forever” gift.  Have you ever had a present like that?

I remember an old letter that the comedienne Jean Kerr  wrote to the owners of a toy squirt gun factory.  Apparently their latest model had a way of leaking all over the furniture.  And she really blasts them, telling them that the previous model had been much better.  “This was a perfect squirt gun,” she complained.  “It was ideal.  It cost a quarter, lasted about fifteen minutes, and then split into two equal halves.  Now that was a good squirt gun!”

David was telling me about a trip he and his daughter Karli made to Dodger Stadium a few years back, where the giveaway was a free wristwatch for every fan in attendance.  So they sat there during the opening ceremonies trying to set these two little digital watches to the correct time.  And when David made his report to the Consumer Digest people, he informed them that one watch lasted until about ten that evening; the other one kept good time until approximately the fourth inning of that same game and then died.  Now, this story shouldn’t cast any negative reflection on the Dodger organization, which actually gives out some nice prizes from time to time.  (In lieu of World Series rings.)  But those particular watches weren’t exactly the kind of present that lasts forever.

But for the Christian who goes shopping here on December 18, I would apply this several ways.  First of all, friend, let’s give good gifts.  Let’s give “forever” gifts to those we love.  Gifts that will last beyond noon next Monday.  Gifts that can impact, maybe, a boy or girl’s life for years to come.  Gifts that count for eternity.

And of course, whenever we can shop and give in a way that includes Christ, that’s a way of giving for eternity.  I have to confess that I’m thankful for some of the presents our writer/producer, David Smith, gets for Christmas, since they sometimes show up in these messages!  And last Christmas his mother-in-law gave him a “forever” gift — a copy of President Jimmy Carter’s new book, Living Faith.  What a marvelous present, filled with anecdotes and illustrations that not only can add sparkle and truth to a radio script, and make his job easier, but that also reaches IN and touches his own life.  And also the lives of people in the congregations he preaches to around the country.  And you see, that’s a gift that recognizes the value of “forever.”

You know, the Bible teaches us to think about “forever” when we give.  I’m sure you remember this Christmas-shopping advice found in the book of Matthew, chapter 6:

“Store up for yourself treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

We could make the observation here that our holiday list ought to include a gift TO our Savior, Jesus.  In the form of a Christmas offering at church.  That’s an obvious point, and we’ll make it again as we continue this week.  But friend, can’t this have a broader application?  Can we store up treasures in heaven by how we give to our children, our friends, our neighbors?

Maybe you think that this limits us to just giving out nothing but Bibles and maybe Greek and Hebrew concordance software to everyone we know.  But let’s think in broader terms, shall we?  I heard recently about a couple who splurged here in December and flew with their children over to London, England.  Now, normally it’s cold and dreary this time of year, and they probably got some good airfares as a result.  But they had an interesting motivation besides seeing Big Ben and the frozen-over Thames River.  They knew that Handel’s Messiah was going to be performed there in one of the great cathedrals, probably Westminster Abbey.  What a spiritual highlight for their kids, to hear the wonderful choruses echoing off of those high stone ceilings in a building where God has been worshiped since the 14th century. You know, that trip probably cost several thousand dollars . . . and that was a “forever” gift, a memory that would not only last a lifetime but impact a young person’s soul, their eternal destiny for that long as well.  Which, even if “London for Christmas” is a gift well beyond our reach — you and me — is something we should strive for: giving those “forever” gifts.

Mentioning Handel’s Messiah like this, and with memories of our radio series from two weeks ago still fresh in our minds, reminds me of how God gives to us in this “forever” sense.  His gifts are like that, aren’t they?  Especially the eternal benefits that come to us from the gift of His Son.  Luke 2:11 is one of the solos in this wonderful oratorio, and notice that this is a gift:

“For UNTO YOU is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

Notice that Jesus wasn’t just born.  Listen, He was born “unto you.”  That’s right, you.  You listening to this radio program on this radio station on this date in history, December 18, 2000.  That’s a gift, a forever gift, to you right here — and you can take off the wrapping paper three days early.  And then back to Isaiah chapter nine, where we find some more bows and ribbons with a forever gift.  Notice — and hum along, even:

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the EVERLASTING Father, the Prince of Peace.”  And then Isaiah adds this: “Of the increase of His government and peace THERE SHALL BE NO END.”

And then there’s the most magnificent line of all, from Revelation chapter nine, where the great countless Hallelujah choir sings:

“King of kings and Lord of lords.  And He shall reign FOR EVER AND EVER.”

Yes, friend, that’s the kind of giving God does.  The batteries are included and the warranty is for a lifetime.  God has given us the greatest “forever” gift in the universe.

As you do your last-minute shopping here with just 72 hours left to go, maybe someone special is still on your list.  Actually, maybe there’s that someone special . . . and then Jesus too.  Have you thought of a present for Him?  Maybe a gift to further His work — but also the gift of your heart, your life?  Jesus likes “forever” gifts as well, you know.

And then that special person.  A husband, a wife, a sweetheart, that son or daughter.  Your mother there in the convalescent hospital.  Why not upgrade that Christmas present?  Include some element that will remind them of Jesus.  If it’s a sweater, tuck a Bible verse in the pocket.  If it needs batteries, well, give the batteries but also a little reminder: “Jesus is the One who powers MY life.  Love, Grandma.”

All the malls are open late tonight, friend.  And maybe the Bible bookstore too.  Go for it!