A man who lived in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, was in desperate need of a different car than the one his family had. Unfortunately, they were extremely poor and all he had was $100 to spend.
In spite of this, he headed out anyway. However, before he got to town, the car that he and his children were in stalled out, leaving them stranded several blocks from their destination – a local used car lot.
With no other choice, he bundled up his children, ages 2 and 5, in blankets and started walking. They finally arrived at the used car lot and fearfully asked if they had a car to sell for $100.
The salesman said he was sorry, they had no cars to sell for that price. But he did have one he thought they could afford – for $6.50 ($1 for legality and $5.50 for the transfer fee)!
You see, the owner had seen them coming down the road, a pitiful sight in the dead of winter, and was moved to give him the car. The salesman told the gentleman to take the balance of the $100 and buy some things for the children for their Christmas. What a Christmas that was!
The coming of the Messiah has changed and softened hearts for centuries. God’s promise fulfilled in the birth of his Son made all the difference.
Recently I found myself wondering what God thinks about Christmas. This came about because a while ago I saw a huge coffee mug that had the statement, “Next year I’m going to think about what Christmas means to God.”
What do you think it means to God?
At that first Christmas, when God came to us in a tiny baby, it was in the simplest of circumstances. A stable, a manger, an unassuming couple. The only real fanfare came from God’s angels.
God came to us in the baby Jesus in order to fulfill the hope people had in their lives to be rescued from what oppressed them. God came as one of us so we could see and hear him more clearly. He came to draw us closer to himself in love and to fill us with hope for eternal life with him.
Last week we celebrated his coming to us. Was your heart softened because of the deep meaning of the day? Did you think about what Christmas means to God?
I invite you to ponder these things. Allow his light to shine in you and through you.
The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: What Christmas means to God