Let Down | Receiving the Gift

The light was in the world, and the world came into being through the light, but the world didn't recognize the light. The light came to his own people, and his own people didn't welcome him. But those who did welcome him, those who believed in his name, he authorized to become God's children. (John 1:10-12 CEB)

Merry Christmas! Today is the day. Christmas has finally arrived. And I hope that wherever you are and whatever you're doing today, you take time to remember what we're actually celebrating. We're celebrating the truth that God loved us so much that he became one of us. We're celebrating the fact that Jesus – God in human flesh – was born into this world for you. For me. For all of us.

But here's what makes today's Scripture so sobering: not everyone welcomed him. The light came into the world – the world he created – and the world didn't recognize him. He came to his own people, and they didn't welcome him.

Why? Because he wasn't what they expected. Because he didn't match the picture they had in their minds of what the Messiah should be like. So they rejected him. They turned him away. They missed out on the greatest gift God has ever given because it didn't come wrapped the way they wanted it to.

But then John writes something beautiful: "But those who did welcome him, those who believed in his name, he authorized to become God's children."

Those who welcomed him became children of God. And that's the choice we all have to make. Not just once, but every single day. Will we receive Jesus as he actually is? Or will we reject him because he's not what we expected?

On Christmas morning, we receive gifts. We unwrap them. We thank the people who gave them to us. And if we're wise, we appreciate what we've been given instead of complaining about what we didn't get.

God has given us the greatest gift imaginable. He's given us himself. In the person of Jesus Christ, God has come into our world. He's walked in our shoes. He's experienced what we experience. He's offered us forgiveness, redemption, and eternal life.

But like any gift, it only benefits us if we receive it. So today, on Christmas Day, I want to challenge you to receive the gift God has given. Not the gift you expected or the gift you would have asked for if God had consulted you first. Receive the gift God actually gave – Jesus Christ, born in a stable, raised in poverty, friend of sinners, crucified on a cross, risen from the dead.

Receive him. Welcome him. Accept him for who he is. And discover that he's exactly what you've been looking for all along, even if he's not what you expected.

Because when we receive Jesus – really receive him, not just acknowledge him – we become children of God. We become part of God's family. We receive the authority to live as God's people in this world. And that's a gift worth celebrating. Not just today, but every day for the rest of our lives.

Closing Prayer:

Father, thank you for the gift of Jesus. Thank you for loving us enough to become one of us. Help us to receive Jesus as he actually is instead of rejecting him for who he isn't. Make us your children. Fill us with your Spirit. And help us to live as people who have received the greatest gift imaginable. Merry Christmas, and thank you for Jesus. Amen.