“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and Mary gave birth to her firstborn, a son.  She wrapped Him cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

One of today’s internet polls asked if you could have any one of the gifts mentioned in the song the Twelve Days of Christmas, which gift would you want? Would you want the partridge, the French hens, the turtledove or one of their fine feathered friends mentioned in the song? Would you prefer one of the gifts, such as drummers drumming, maids a milking, etc.? Or perhaps you have your eye on the five gold rings?  If you do then you are not alone because over 50% of those responding choose the five gold rings.

Do you know what the least favorite gift was? It was a tie between the four Calling Birds, three French Hens and the Partridge in the Pear Tree. Oh by the way if you are wondering how much it would cost you to buy them all, the price tag is $65,264. To think the gift that started it all is the least favorite and the least asked for?  There is some irony here.  I say this because the origin of The Twelve Days of Christmas was actually a tool used by the Catholic Church to teach the basic tenets of the faith?  It was illegal to be Catholic in England from 1558 to 1829 so they used this song.

How ironic is it that the partridge in a pear tree, the least favorite gift today, is Jesus Christ.  If that doesn’t ring true!  Jesus, the very reason for the season is a gift that too often does get lost.

When our church was being decorated this year for Christmas we pulled out all the boxes and decorations.  When we looked we had everything, but Joseph, Mary and Jesus and the supporting cast of shepherds, angels, wisemen and livestock.

It required a second search and when we came up empty, I jokingly said, “Whoever took them hostage will send us a ransom note.” When we didn’t receive a ransom note we did a final search and we found our nativity set not, might I add, where they should have been.

Unfortunately this is too often the case and I am talking about the real Jesus. It is not that Jesus gets lost it is that we get lost. The trimmings and the traditions of Christmas take on a life of their own. Like the bigger than life size snowmen, Santa Clauses, reindeer, that tower over plastic illuminated figurines of Joseph, Mary and Jesus. We have allowed the real purpose of Christmas, the celebration of Jesus birth to be minimized. Our devotion to celebrating Christmas is out of proportion with our devotion to Jesus. Or is it? Are we more in love with Christmas or Christ?

I am thankful for a letter I received from the General Secretary of the Reformed Church in America. It reminded me that we tend, like our Christmas cards to romanticize the Christmas story. We tend to forget that the Christmas story is about an unwed mother’s unexpected pregnancy. It was a pregnancy that threatened to destroy an engagement. It was a birth that took place in a world that didn’t want to make space for it. It was a birth that took place in the homeless margin of society. Soon after that birth the child and family became political refugees.

Christmas is the story of Emmanuel, God with us. This is the story we celebrate tonight.  A story about a God who loves us and who sent His son Jesus to prove His love. It is a story about Jesus who loves us and died for us to prove His love. It is a story that requires our response.

In the devotional book Extravagant Grace, Luci Swindoll shared a story about how her and her family enjoyed word games. The games they played were not your typical word games. They tried to invent new words and expression. For example one July 4^th she made signs for a friend’s July 4^th party that read, “Leth Take July By Fourth.”

One Christmas Luci decided to celebrate it by making a unique card for her friend who had just returned from a trip to Russia. She began by drawing a Russian Orthodox Church and planned to write below her drawing the greeting, Merry Christmas in Russian.

Her attempt to find the greeting Merry Christmas in Russian was futile. She did manage to find the Russian spelling for the phrase, ‘One-Way Street’ so she decided to write in Russian, ‘One-Way Street’ thinking her friend would never know the difference.

As she began to write this phrase under her picture of the Russian Orthodox Church it dawned her that her message wasn’t as funny as it was profound. She explains in her note to her friend whom she gave the card to.

The note reads, “Actually, I wanted to say Merry Christmas in Russian, but I couldn’t find it. So it says One-Way Street, which is sort of the same thing when you think about it. The birth of Christ is the One Way to peace, hope, joy, laughter…all that Christmas means. May Christmas be all of that and more to you – a one-way street to everlasting joy.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) You couldn’t find better words than those! Jesus is your one-way street to life, your one-way street to faith, hope, and love. Jesus is your one-way gift for all eternity.

Give yourself a gift that lasts this Christmas, the gift of life, abundant and eternal, accept or renew your faith in Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Savior.