More than beautiful presents wrapped in paper and bows, the gift of Christmas begins with a baby in a manger, swaddled in cloth and sleeping in a manger bed.

The gift of Christmas came.

Heralded by angels,

He entered the world He created,

in a stall built for animals;

all of creation crying, “Hail the newborn king!”

as God Incarnate left His throne.

He came.

To live among us.

To teach, to serve, to heal–

and then to die.

Born to be the Savior of the world,

He sacrificed Himself to save us.

He came,

one holy night,

born with a destiny,

fulfilling the prophecy foretold centuries before:

“But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him.”        Isaiah 53:5

The Ultimate Gift?

Jesus.

No longer a wish,

no longer a prophecy yet to be fulfilled,

but reality.

He came.

So much more than a Christmas wish–It was His gift to the world.  To you.  To me.

The greatest gift the world had ever seen–

The gift of salvation.

There is no greater joy.  No greater love.  No greater hope.  No greater peace.

Here it is in black and white:

Sin is costly.

He left heaven and came

to erase our debt with His own blood.

To die in our place.

He came to offer forgiveness: a clean slate,

washing us as

white

as

the

winter

snow.

“Come, let us discuss this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will be like wool.”  Isaiah 1:18

He came.

Jesus, Messiah, King of the world came.

More than a beautiful package wrapped up in paper and bows,

–or even swaddling cloth,

He came, wrapping us in His love.

***If you would like to know how to receive this gift of salvation, you can read more about it here: FAITH