The Anticipation

Well, it's Christmas eve and the anticipation is rising for many children that Christmas day is just a few hours away and they'll get to open their presents. That was always an exciting time for me when I was a kid in Alabama and then southwest Detroit in Michigan. I remember one particular Christmas in Alabama when I asked for a beautiful box of candy I had seen in a magazine. It was beautiful. On Christmas morning I eagerly went to the tree to look for the box of candy. To my disappointment I didn't find what I hoped would be there. Instead, there was a brown paper bag (we called it a poke back then) full of Baby Ruth candy bars.

That Christmas wasn't what I expected. A brown paper bag of Baby Ruth candy bars. Where's the beauty and excitement in that? As I grew older I learned of another gift that was presented to me that was not wrapped in pretty paper or a fancy box, but only in strips of cloth and laid in a manger where the animals would eat their food. Just a baby but oh what a baby. That little boy wrapped in swaddling clothes ended up being the greatest present I could ever receive: God's gift to me (and you).

Even though many today are "throwing away" that present, I am eternally thankful for it.

Have a great Christmas eve.

Pastor Gary