All That I Need and So Much More

Christmas Eve – 2024

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen.  As a child I never had difficulty making a Christmas list of the things that I wanted. It was quite easy for me to think about all the things I wanted to have and then hope that I would at least get some of them at Christmas.  And when Christmas came, I loved opening my presents.  But I have to say that I felt bad for my father every Christmas because it seemed to me that he always got some of the lamest and most boring gifts.  He would get socks and those bags of white t-shirts.  He would get a tie or sometimes some aftershave lotion.  He had a good sense of humor about it.  He would open his present and then loudly announce, “look what I got everyone.  It’s more white t-shirts!”  I remember thinking that I didn’t ever want to become an adult if those are the kinds of Christmas presents that you get.  But to be fair he really didn’t want any presents anyway.  When asked he said that he didn’t need any presents for Christmas because he already had all that he needed.

As an adult I have a greater understanding of what he was talking about. It is very hard for me to make a Christmas list as I get older.  The reason? I have all that I need.  Don’t get me wrong.  I personally still love receiving gifts.  But if someone asks me what I want for Christmas, I don’t have an answer.  Because I have all that I need. 

This is true of all Christians.  We have all that we need.  We have all that we need and so much more because we have Christ Jesus. The reason that we are gathered together this Christmas Eve is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  It is a marvelous celebration.  We remember how God’s Son came down from heaven and became a human being.  Think about that for a moment.  God walked the earth in the flesh.  He came into the world to be our Savior.  And this is good news for us because we all need a Savior.  We need a Savior because of sin.  We all sin and fall short of the glory of God.  We all live in a sinful world of darkness.  Without the Lord there would be no hope.  Sin would rule over us, death would take us, and hell would be waiting for us.  That is why the Lord came into the world.  He came to free us from the bondage of sin, defeat death for us, and bring us to heaven.

Jesus came into the world to be our Savior.  He was conceived in a miraculous way by the power of the Holy Spirit and He was born of the virgin Mary.  The baby who was born in the manger became a man.  He lived a perfect life in our place.  He preached the Word of God.  He healed people.  He showed compassion to all who were in need.  He performed miracles so that people would know that He was indeed the Son of God.  He went to the cross for us.  He suffered and died on that cross.  In the crucifixion of Jesus we see that love of God.  For it is Jesus who took our sins upon Himself and faced the wrath of God in our place.  He then gave us His goodness and righteousness.  He rose from the dead thus defeated death for us.  He opened the Kingdom of Heaven for all of us.

As Christians we have all that we need.  We have all that we need and so much more.  Through faith in Jesus Christ we receive the forgiveness of sins.  We are given the peace that passes all understanding because we are given peace with God.  It is Jesus who makes us right with God.  We are given that assurance that the Lord is with us and that He will sustain us.  He gives us a sure and certain hope.  Not wishful thinking but certainty that He will visibly return to bring us to heaven to be with Him for all eternity.  He gives us joy.  It is a joy that lasts forever. 

If the Lord does all of this for us then He will certainly bless us with earthly gifts as well.  He gives to us our families and friends.  He gives us food, clothing, and a home to live in.  He gives us music and art to enjoy.  He gives us all that we need to sustain our life.  We have been given everything.

But what about those times when we struggle?  What about those times that we are in pain or lonely or discouraged? Fear not!  The Lord is with you.  He comes in His Word to comfort you.  He reminds us that we are His baptized children.  He reminds us that He loves us.  He reminds us that He will deliver us from our struggles and bring us to be with Him.

It is nice to get a gift every so often.  I still like opening presents on Christmas.  But if I never received another present that would be okay because I already have the perfect gift.  We have all received this perfect gift.  He was born over 2,000 years ago.  He was placed in the manger.  That baby was God in the flesh.  He is the one who has saved us and restored us.  As Christians we have all that we need.  We have all that we need and so much more.  We have Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.