Our Scripture Today comes from John 3:1-17
Not long ago Frank and I received an invitation to a party
where we were to bring a white elephant gift.
You know what a white elephant gift is, don’t you? Something cheap or
weird that you own because someone gave it to you, or because you actually
bought it during a time you had taken leave of your senses. You know what I’m talking about - pink
flamingo boxer shorts, fluorescent socks, coffee cups honoring the inventors of
Post-it notes or Velcro, anything from Ronco or K-tel …or As Seen on TV…- you
know what I’m saying. Well, white
elephant gifts have the same purpose as most fruitcakes: to get rid of them!
The goal is to give it to some unsuspecting soul, preferably an in-law. A white elephant gift is a 2nd or 3rd rate
gift. An outcast gift. A thrift store reject. The kind of thing you only see
this time of year make in countries you can’t pronounce the names of. Usually they are given as a joke at those
Christmas parties for the office and such. Sometimes they are given, because,
quite frankly, you can’t afford a "real" gift, so you give something
like that hoping the humor of the situation will cover your inability to get
something on a more expensive scale.
At times while I was growing up, and even in the recent
past, my family used to draw names for gift-giving, because the family was just
too big for everyone to buy gifts for everyone.
Anyone else do that? I think it’s a great idea. I have 96 first cousins.
So what I want you to do…..I’d like you to imagine for a
moment that you were drawing names, and you drew the name of the one family
member you were hoping NOT to get. Maybe some distant cousin or something. This person has treated you badly in the
past. Maybe this person spread lies or rumors about you. Maybe they stole
something from you or wrecked your car. Or maybe they hurt someone you
love. What kind of gift would you give
that person? Would they be a candidate for a white elephant gift?
Read
John 3:1-17
God gives different
kinds of gifts. We all know what some of God’s gifts to us are. He gives us Eternal life, (Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.) Peace
(John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you
as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.) Grace
and faith for salvation. (Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of
God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.) Wisdom
for the trials of life. (James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom, he should
ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be
given to him.) Daily provision for needs. (Matthew 6:31-33 - So do not worry,
saying, `What shall we eat?’ or `What shall we drink?’ or `What shall we wear?’
32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows
that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and
all these things will be given to you as well.)
Other blessings. (John 1:16 - From the fullness of his
grace we have all received one blessing after another. God has a style
of giving: His gifts are good. (James
1:17 - Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father
of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.) You know….I don’t believe that any of the gifts we just looked
at qualify as a white elephant gift. They’re
good gifts. They are worth having and
worth desiring from the hand of God. His gifts are generous. Ephesians 1:3 - Praise be to the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with
every spiritual blessing in Christ. He makes us heirs,
not with Bill Gates or the Rockefellers, but with Christ. Now how’s that for
thinking big? The point here is that if we want to reflect God’s
gift-giving pattern, we need to think not of "What can I get away
with?" But rather, "How can I bless this person?"
His
motivation for giving is love. It’s ironic during a time when we are in more of giving
mood, we often find ourselves with the dilemma of giving something to someone
out of obligation instead of a desire to bless that person. You know what I mean - someone gave you a gift, and you feel
obligated to give them one. Did you realize that God does not have to give us gifts? We
don’t deserve them. If we deserved gifts, they wouldn’t be gifts, they would be
wages. A real
gift is something given out of a desire to bless the person receiving the gift,
not out of obligation.Have any of you either read the book or seen the movie, Mommy Dearest? It chronicles the bitter relationship between Christine Crawford and her mother, actress Joan Crawford. One of the most memorable parts of both the book and movie for me is where a film crew is at their house when Christine was young. Joan was already a famous movie star, and this crew was there to interview Joan, her husband, and the kids about their Christmas celebration. When the interviewer asked Joan about the children opening the gifts given by their parents and adoring fans, the answer was shocking, at least to me. She said that the children had to earn the gifts before they could receive them. Doesn’t sound much like a gift, does it? I’m sure the gifts themselves were enjoyable, but the thought of earning a gift kind of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it? …And requiring someone to earn their gifts certainly doesn’t reflect the character of God.
Have you received God’s best gift? If not, won’t you open
your heart today and ask Him to give it to you? It’s yours for the asking. The
Bible says that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved, and that
means you, and it means me. If you have received this best gift….why don’t you offer the
gift of God to others. I want you to think back to the introduction where I asked
you to think of something you hold dear, and how you would react if the person
whose name you had drawn wanted that very thing. I said that that person had hurt you before,
had neglected or even stolen from you. Remember?
Folks, each one of us is that person. WE have sinned against God Almighty. WE have turned our
backs on Him. WE have lied to Him. We have cheated and stolen. Yet we have the audacity to ask Him for
eternal life. And what does He do? He gives it to us! What did it cost Him? His most prized possession. His Son,
Jesus Christ. God didn’t give a white
elephant gift. He gave us the very best he had to offer - to sinners like you
and me.
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