The Bright Side of

It’s the week after Christmas, and all through the house

Our family is busy—especially my spouse.

She’s been to the mall for the post-Christmas sales

And bought next year’s tinsel by reams and by bales.

And now she’s exchanging the clothes that aren’t right,

‘Cause those we received made us look quite a sight.

The tree—it still stands in the corner forlorn,

Bedraggled reminder of our Christmas morn.

The needles are falling, the branches all droop.

The now-opened presents tempt no one to snoop.

And Mother now looks at the room with dismay.

She dreads all the clean-up that’s coming her way.

We’ve been to the parties with egg-nog and punch,

The Christmas left-overs we’ve eaten for lunch.

The jars of hard candy unopened still stand,

For what can compare with milk chocolate in hand?

The stockings that hung by the chimney with care

Are now limply draped over Dad’s easy chair.

The children aren’t snuggled down deep in their beds,

For video visions now dance in their heads.

But Nintendo and Sega soon lose their appeal,

And the radio-controlled car has just dropped a wheel.

Kids’ tummies are filled with all sorts of sweet treats

‘Til no room is left for their carrots or beets.

Ah, Christmas! It comes only once every year.

And when it is gone, do we dare shed a tear?

We’ve been to the socials, we’ve gathered in church,

But what is it that causes our hearts such a lurch?

What is it that’s missing? How have we gone wrong?

What did we leave out when we went with the throng?

The carols we sang, and they gave us some cheer,

But now they are silent awaiting next year.

Could it be that our Christmas was only a fling?

A moment of joy that has now taken wing?

And what of the Child in that manger so bare?

Now that Christmas is gone, have we just left Him there?

You’re going to find out over the next couple of weeks what kind of Christmas you had this year. Was it a Christ-centered Christmas, or was it centered on something else? For so many people, there is a tremendous let-down after Christmas.

But if you focus on Jesus Christ, He’ll go with you into those dreary weeks of January and February, when it seems like winter will never end. And he will give you a joy that lasts.

You see, for a real Christian, Christmas lasts all year long. Because the gifts that God gave us when He gave us His son are gifts that are special year-’round.

This morning, I’m sure that most of you spent some time around your Christmas tree opening presents.

For the next few moments, try to imagine that you’re sitting around heaven’s Christmas tree. God has placed some beautiful gifts under that tree for you. Each one is lovingly wrapped and has your name on it.

When Jesus Christ came to earth that first Christmas, God sent with Him five precious gifts. The first gift He sent us is the gift of LOVE. It’s wrapped in a beautiful package; a package that, if you’ll notice closely, has no strings attached. The Bible says…

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…”

I heard of a father who gave a very unusual gift to his children on their birthday. He gave them a day of his time, to do whatever they wanted to do with him. His son wanted to go fishing with his Dad. His teenage daughter asked him to take her to the mall and they went shopping all day.

That was a wise father. Instead of giving his kids expensive trinkets or toys, he gave them the gift of himself. When you want to show someone that you really love them, you give them yourself.

That is how God gave us his gift of LOVE. He gave us Himself. He gift-wrapped Himself in human flesh and came here in person, as Jesus Christ. And He gave himself up for us when He died on the cross.

The first gift under heaven’s tree is the gift of LOVE. That love is what made possible all the other gifts under the tree. Let’s look at the next one.

The second gift that’s under heaven’s Christmas tree for us is placed right beside the first. It’s the gift of FORGIVENESS. This gift is the most expensive gift under the tree. It’s a gift that is stained bright red with the blood of Calvary.

If you look closely at it, you’ll see the fingerprints of the nail-pierced hands of the man from Galilee. You might even notice some tear stains on the wrapping paper.

When Jesus came to earth that first Christmas, He came to do something about the terrible problem of sin that separates us from God. Sin is that desire that we all have deep inside of us to go our own way without regard for God.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death

How many of us can say that we have never sinned against God, or never done something that we know to be against His will? The truth is—we’re all sinners, and without forgiveness, we can never regain that fellowship with God that was broken when we sinned.

God, in His great love, provided forgiveness for us in the person of Jesus Christ. He died on the cross in our place. He received the wages of sin for us. He paid the penalty for our sin.

Colossians 2:13-14 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins

If what we needed most was more education, God would have sent us a teacher.

If what we needed most was more money, God would have sent us a banker.

If what we needed most was physical health, God would have sent us a doctor.

If what we needed most was power, God would have sent us an army general

But what we needed most was forgiveness. That’s why God sent us a Savior.

There is a third gift under heaven’s Christmas tree waiting for us. It is the gift of PEACE, and it’s right beside the gift of FORGIVENESS. When you come to know the Christ of Christmas by receiving Him as your Savior, and when you experience the forgiveness he offers, He gives you peace.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

There are many troubled people in the world who have no peace. Many folk right now have heavy hearts. It seems that the Christmas season brings about an increase in depression and suicide. The underlying reason that people have no peace in their hearts is because they don’t know about the gifts of God’s LOVE and FORGIVENESS.

The peace of God that comes from knowing Christ is a peace that doesn’t depend on circumstances. You can find yourself in the midst of disaster, yet have a peace that passes all understanding, because you know that all is right between you and God. What a wonderful gift!

But there are more gifts for us under heaven’s Christmas tree waiting to be opened. There’s the gift of FREEDOM. It is right next to the gift of PEACE.

John 8:31 Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

You know there’s an interesting contrast between people who are religious and people who are Christ-followers. People who are religious are people who go to church, but who think that they have to win their way to God through their own efforts. They try to do good deeds, and live a good life, so as to be acceptable to God. And that perspective on life is not a liberating perspective. People who live that way are not free.

They are bound by a set of rules and regulations. They are always wondering if they’ve measured up - if they’ve done enough good deeds to make it to heaven. If you live like that, you’re not free, you’re really in chains - the chains of your own self-righteousness.

This is not what Jesus wanted to give us for Christmas - He didn’t come to earth to make our lives miserable. When He brought us the gifts of LOVE and FORGIVENESS and PEACE, He also gave us the gift of FREEDOM.

We have seen that God forgave us simply because of what Jesus did on the Cross. So that means that we are free from the penalty of sin, and free from bondage to Satan. We’re also free from having to live by a performance standard.

Being a follower of Christ is the most liberating, joyful experience you’ll ever have.

Well, there’s one more gift waiting for us under the tree. It’s the gift of LIFE. It’s a gift that has two parts - abundant life and eternal life.

John 10:10 I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

The Lord wants our lives here on this earth to be full and meaningful. He didn’t promise that we would be rich in money, but he did promise that we would be rich in spiritual terms if we follow Him. And when life on this earth is over, we have the promise of eternal life.

John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

1 John 5:11-13 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

There are five wonderful gifts under heaven’s Christmas tree for you:

• the gift of LOVE

• the gift of FORGIVENESS

• the gift of PEACE

• the gift of FREEDOM

• the gift of LIFE

How do you get them? Well, how did you get your Christmas gifts this morning? You simply received them didn’t you?

Wouldn’t it be ridiculous if someone handed you a Christmas gift and you pulled out your wallet and offered to pay for it? That would actually be insulting to the one who gave it to you!

In the same way, the Bible says that God doesn’t expect you to pay for these gifts that He has given you. He offers them to you freely

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?