On Christmas Eve night when I was about seven years old, our home in Olympia was decorated with carefully carved and colorfully clad figurines and artifacts from Germany. These included balsa wood carousels which rotated when candles were lit under their canted vanes, stocky hollow wooden figures with removable bases on which incense could be placed and lit so that they smoked, and soldiers with outstretched hands palms up on which candles were placed and lit. My mother is German and her grandfather owned a small factory that manufactured these items. Mother also attached candle holders to our Tannenbaum in our living room and lit the candles.
“The Lights of Christmas ” watercolor by Kathy Hunt
In the excitement of that night, my dad took my mother and us three boys for a drive around Capitol Lake. We were at the far side of the lake when my mother exclaimed, “The candles are burning at home!” Dad made a quick U-turn, and we raced home. Rushing into the house, we saw the candles burned down to stubs dripping wax. The outstretched hands of my soldier were scorched. My mother quickly blew out the smoldering wicks. Had we delayed another few minutes, our house would have been on fire. God rescued us before any of us knew Christ. Christ came into this dark world to rescue us from eternal fire. On that night about 2025 years ago, an angel appeared to shepherds near Bethlehem and said, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today a Savior has been born to you: he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). For we all have sinned, and “the wages of sin is death.” By His death in our place, Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins. Three days later Christ rose from the dead and offers us the greatest gift. “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
By God’s grace I received His indescribable gift when I was 15. At age 18 I was in college in North Carolina. My family had just moved to Montgomery AL, after my dad was selected by the Air Force to get his master’s degree from Auburn University. In college I had bought a used Yamaha 125 motorcycle. My dad sent me a fluorescent orange USAF flight suit. After classes let out, I donned that suit and rode my cycle at night across parts of four states. About a mile from my family’s home, my cycle’s clutch broke. By God’s grace I made it home for Christmas. After that, my mother told me that was the last time I was going to ride that cycle. The Lord provided a ride back to school with a classmate in his Mercedes sports car.
God provides abundant grace for us all if we will receive it. “For if by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17). The Greek word translated “receive” is actually “receiving” and means “actively accept: taking something that is available.” 1 God’s grace is available to all of us, but each of us must receive it. His grace is needed by all of us to successfully navigate the ongoing challenges we face daily. The greatest gift any of us could receive is truly God’s gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus. He has made abundant provision for us in giving us His One and Only Son. If you have not personally received Christ, you can do so now. You can pray like this:
“God, I need to know I have eternal life. I ask You to forgive my sins for Jesus Christ’s sake. I believe He died to pay my penalty of death for those sins. I believe He rose from the dead. I receive Your gift of forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus Christ. I declare Jesus Lord of my life from now on. Thank You, Father!” If you have received Christ, God’s greatest gift, you can and need to daily actively accept God’s rescues by His grace. We need God’s abundant provision of grace not just at Christmas but every day. God has superabundant stores of grace for you in every situation. Just ask Him and receive His abundant provision of grace!
1 Gary Hill, The Discovery Bible New American Standard New Testament (Chicago: Moody,
1987), p. 522. All Bible verses are taken from the New International Version, 1978.
Tom Giesecke (Sonrise Magazine Editor) Author. Grew up in Olympia, WA, where he received Christ at age 15. He graduated from Davidson College, NC, and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA. After his medical internship at the National Naval Medical Center Bethesda, MD, he trained and served as a U.S. Navy Flight Surgeon for four years. Following residency training, he served thousands of people as a Board-certified Family Physician for more than thirty-five years. Learning of God’s love motivates Tom to daily search the Scriptures for more. Tom has led Bible studies for many years and enjoys sharing “the word of God, and recently publishing a book (find in the Sonrise Bookstore and Amazon) on the grace of God: Gracious Goodness.” Reach Tom at tomgiesecke@comcast.net
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