I must say i do like listening to the radio at  this time of year. All the old Christmas hits. Slade, Wizard, even Band Aid. Wham remembering “Last Christmas”. What a Christmas that was. Fear and isolation. Closed bubbled and curtailed plans. I think ours was a much simpler affair. Planned to metaphorically close the portcullis and raise the drawbridge. Wham of course sang about a love that was given and by the feast of Stephen had been squandered. Destroyed in fact. The tale of a lesson learnt. I think most of us can recollect a “Last Christmas”. A time we celebrated the lord’s arrival with someone who has gone before us. 

Christmas can be magical, especially if you’re young. Most people agree that Christmas is for children; or those who are like a child. I believe it takes the imagination of a child to make the leap of faith. Whether its old bearded men in scarlet tunics, or the Son of God born of a virgin, worshipped by men of science from a far.

With maturity comes experience, with experience comes, memories, with memories comes emotions. Happy memories from long ago, sadder days when see an empty chair at a table.

No one knows the future nor can interpret “What if” but surely if not for covid, there would be less empty chairs.

So What if you knew beyond the shadow of a doubt, that this was your last Christmas with your loved ones. What gift would top the list?

I don’t know about you, but there seems to me to be endless types of Black Friday sales. Included; are cars, clothes, reading materials, electronic gadgets, and jewellery, It appears to me that too many of these Black Fridays contribute to Red Sundays. Too many of us continue to put God behind our material desires and perceived needs at the expense of our spiritual development. God, never has and never will be satisfied with any position other than first in our lives. According to a recent Research poll, fewer and fewer people see Christmas as a religious holiday. The reason for giving gifts has nothing to do with the three Wisemen, come to honour the new born King, but rather Christmas is viewed as a day off work and an opportunity to receive gifts. But as we, in the Christian tradition celebrate the advent season, and as we know that Christ will come again as scripture plainly tells us. Then clearly, there will be a last Christmas for the entire world. Jesus says no man knows the day, nor the hour of His return, what if this was the last Christmas for you, or someone you know or love what gift would you give them? What would you want to be sure that they had received? Something from a Black Friday sale purchased during a sales frenzy? Is it the right size? Does it compliment their complexion? Is it their style? Will you need to keep the receipt in case of return on the day after Christmas. There are similar concerns with jewellery, electronic devices and games. 

But even with stock, when Jesus comes they can’t take it with them. So what would you choose as the perfect gift for the last Christmas? I know what I’d decide. It wouldn’t matter if it were my last Christmas, or that of a loved one. It wouldn’t matter about their age, nor gender. It wouldn’t even matter about their sexual persuasions, I’d give them Jesus. With Jesus it doesn’t matter size or colour, one size fits all. It’s the gift everybody needs. The perfect gift for the proverbial person who has everything. You won’t have to hold on the the receipt. And even if you had purchased something durable like a fridge, car, or washing machine Jesus never wears out or breaks down. That’s why Jesus is always at the top of my Christmas list. God has you on the top of His list. The real question is He at the top of yours?

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Tags: Christianity, Christmas