Christmas Memories – Advent Devotion
December 10, 2020
“Best Christmas Gift Ever!”
Romans 6:23b
As some of you may know, my wife Kathy and I are avid Hallmark Movie watchers. We pretty much don’t stray from the Hallmark channel during November and December, except for football and news.
As I was thinking about this devotion, I tried to recall how often I’ve heard the line, “Best Christmas Ever,” in a Hallmark movie. I can’t give you an accurate number, but it’s a lot, including variations of the statement. Sometimes we’ll hear, “Best Christmas party ever,” or, “Best Christmas tree ever,” and occasionally, “Best Christmas gift ever.”
The words, best Christmas gift ever, got me thinking about what I remember as my best Christmas gift. I was nine or ten years old, and I was getting over the whole clothes and toys for Christmas. I don’t know where I saw it or why I thought it was so cool, but I asked for a woodburning kit for Christmas.
Well, guess what I got for Christmas? That’s right, the woodburning kit that I had asked for. I was so excited that I could hardly wait to start burning names and creating things with my gift. And I did. I used it so often within a few months, I burned the electric wood burner out.
I’m not sure why I never got a new one; perhaps I had moved on to something new that was occupying my time. I do know this. While it lasted, my woodburning kit was, “The best Christmas gift ever!”
Roman 6:23b
The greatest Christmas gift ever is Jesus. Our eternal life is a gift from God. This gift is only available through faith in Christ Jesus. The best part is that because of God’s Grace and our faith in Jesus, our forgiveness is guaranteed because God promised it.
At the time, my woodburning kit, and probably many other gifts I have received over the years were, “The best Christmas gift ever.” But, now I understand, those gifts were all temporary because they were of this world. The gift of Jesus from God and our salvation will last a lifetime.
