Fraternity-Testvériség, 1981 (59. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1981-10-01 / 4. szám
THE PERFECT GIFT Text: The Word had life in himself, and this life brought life to men. — John 1:4 If you should be asked to select a perfect gift for your loved one, what would you choose? If you would be asked to make it as symbolic as possible, what would you select? If a gift is selected thoughtfully it should represent the feeling of the giver and it should be appropriate to the one who receives it. It should represent to a certain degree the appreciation one may feel toward the receiver, as well as the insight of the person who sends it. On the other hand there should be an attempt to meet the needs and tastes of the other person. When we search in the shops for gifts representing us and appropriate for our loved one, we hope that when it is opened the receiver will say: “O, it is just what I wanted.” I remember that when I took the children out to look for gifts they thought in their own terms. They were ready to give toys to their parents or grandparents. They were selecting coloring books, instead of something for older people. It happens often that a gift represents the giver well enough, but shows very little consideration for the recepient. Husbands, for example, may select something for their wives which reflect their masculine tastes. I read about an elderly aunt, who used to give pin cushions to little girls on each Christmas. One little girl who received one of those pin cushions wrote back: “Dear Auntie, thank you very much for the pin cushion I have always wanted one, but not very much.” When you select an appropriate gift it reflects a double purpose: to reveal your love and meets the needs of the receiver. The reason why I speak about proper gift giving is because at Christmas time we remember God’s gift to mankind. At Chrismas time His love is revealed as well as our need is fulfilled. God gave the perfect gift to us through Jesus. Through Him God’s nature is revealed to us. In Jesus our deepest needs are met, and God is made known to mankind. God became a human being and He lived among us in the personality of Jesus. We saw the glory of God in the baby born in the stable of Bethlehem. We saw God’s grace and His truth come alive in a perfect gift. In our time we estimate the worth of any gift by checking its price and its usefullness. When you look at the Christmas gift of God, you may find it less spectacular, than we might expect. But we should realize that Jesus was not only a gift for His age, but all ages. In his time He was not considered extraordinary. When He was born the Jewish people were waiting for a military Messiah, who would have freed them from the Roman oppression. He did not fulfill the dream of the political leaders, who expected an earthly king, instead of a spiritual Messiah. He did not come from a rich family through which he would have been able to gain influence. Even his family line was hardly known to the others of his time. When his family was in a crisis they could not even find a suitable place for the newborn child. Jesus was placed in the manger and not into a comfortable cradle. He grew up in a poor neighboorhood in Nazareth. In his life time He never traveled more than 100 miles from his home. To the best of our knowledge he hardly had any formal education. As far as his time was concerned there was hardly anything outstanding, which he contributed to society. Jesus did not acquire any property. He did not become a military hero. He did not write a book about spiritual values or life. To the best of our knowledge He did not paint or compose any music. He was never elected to lead any organization. He did not have influental friends. The disciples around him were seemingly insignificant people. Even when He died He was executed as a criminal. Jesus did not offer political or economic leadership. He wanted to be a servant and not a master. He spoke about God as a forgiving Father and not as a mighty king. Inspite of all these things there were millions and millions of people who were ready to follow Him. There were Kings, wise men and political leaders, who bowed down before Jesus. God’s gift was simple. He sent Jesus to us. He came as an ordinary man. He lived a simple life, and yet through Him we were able to see God in a different light. He came to unite us with our heavenly Father. He came to meet our spiritual needs. Jesus lived like we do. He was tempted like we are. He came to this earth as a human being, and revealed himself in human terms. He did not use magic or abstract ideas in his teaching. He spoke in simple parables when He spoke about His and our heavenly Father. One of the problems we have in our ministry is that we have only a limited understanding of our Creator. When I was a child I did not know that 3
