package delivery

pursuing their package

Posted on by Grace Day

Amazon delivered my package right to my front door. All I needed to do was to open my door and bring my package inside. It was literally waiting outside my door for me to open up and let it in. The shepherds had a similar experience with their gift delivery. The announcement of the arrival of their Savior came complete with instructions on how they could access their gift. The angel of the Lord told the shepherds,

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:11-12)

Their gift was waiting for them, not too far from where they were. BUT – with the Wise Men, or Magi, as they were called, it was different. The Magi received the announcement, not from an angel, but from a star appearing in the sky, letting them know that God’s gift had been given, that their gift had been delivered, however, not exactly to their front door. Far from it, actually.

No, in order to receive their gift, the Wise Men would have to travel. They would have to embark on a journey without knowing how far or how long they would be traveling. But the Magi, or Wise Men, really wanted to receive God’s gift to them. They were willing to go to great lengths to see for themselves God’s gift to the world, His Son, Jesus. To this end, they traveled from the east to Jerusalem, following the star in pursuit of God’s gift –

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. ‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they replied, ‘for this is what the prophet has written:’ (Matthew 2:1-5-)

The Wise Men then continued on their quest, leaving Jerusalem and heading to Bethlehem, determined to find, to receive and to worship God’s gift to the world, His one and only Son. Their story continues –

“After they (the Wise Men) had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” (Matthew 2:9-11)

The Magi really had to go out of their way to behold and to receive God’s gift to them personally. Theirs was a long and costly journey, taking them far from the familiar comfort of their homes. But they did not take God’s gift for granted. They followed the star God provided and pursued the package which had been delivered on that glorious night when the heavens opened up to the shepherds and the world received its much needed, long awaited Rescuer.

The Magi weren’t content just to hear about the One who had been born King of the Jews, they wanted to actually meet this child personally and have the opportunity to worship Him. After all, this child had been given to them, too, even though they lived in a land which was a great distance from where God’s gift was delivered. Remember what the angel told the shepherds –

“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.’ ” (Luke 2:10-11)

The angel said the good news was for “all the people.” That means the good news and the accompanying great joy were intended for the Magi as well as for everyone else. God’s gift to each and every one of us had been delivered and no one was left out. Some just had to travel a little further than others to receive their gift from God.

Now that the gift has been given, each of us has to decide what we will do with God’s gift to us of His one and only Son. The Magi went way out of their way to track down and to receive the gift that God had delivered to the world. But not everyone was as delighted with God’s gift nor as determined to receive it. John says this about Jesus’s arrival –

“He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:11)

Jesus was delivered to their front porch, but they did not open the door. They did not even attempt to invite Him in or to make room for Him. Jesus was relegated to a stable. Even so, there were those like the Magi who were watching and waiting for God’s gift. When they saw God’s birth announcement in the sky, they left everything behind and set out in pursuit of their package, determined to receive what God so graciously had given.

When the Magi finally found their already delivered gift, Jesus, they celebrated, they worshiped and they bowed down in gratitude to God. Today, as I put away my Christmas gifts, I have to ask myself – what am I doing with God’s gift to me? Am I truly celebrating that my package has been delivered? Am I truly thankful to receive this unmatchable gift from God? Am I truly worshiping my Savior and my Lord, like the Magi did when they finally found their gift?

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11-12)

The gift has been given. The package has been delivered. Time for you and for me to pursue our package. Today I will celebrate, I will worship and I will thank God for His gift to me.

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

This is not a package I want to leave on my front porch. This is a package worth pursuing at all costs, just like the Magi did.

sincerely, Grace Day

your package has been delivered!

Posted on by Grace Day

Those are the exact words of the email I received from Amazon just yesterday, “your package has been delivered”, letting me know that my long-awaited purchase is finally here. My anticipation is finally over. Now all that remains is for me to open my front door, bring my package inside and open it. Or I could just let it sit out there on the front porch, ignoring it indefinitely.

If I do open it, will I be disappointed? Or will it live up to my expectations? Seems like the longer I wait for something, the more it gets built up in my mind, increasing the likelihood that it will not live up to my expectations and I will inevitably be disappointed.

This morning you and I, along with the whole world, are waking up to the same message – “your package has been delivered!” This is good news. This is great news. But how we respond to this announcement makes all the difference in the world. Our package has been delivered. Our promised Messiah, Savior and Deliverer has been born. He has come as God promised. Will we receive Him?

The shepherds were the original responders to this news, because they were the first recipients of the “your package has been delivered” message. The shepherds, however, did not receive their notice via something so mundane as an email from Amazon. No, the shepherds were informed that “your package has been delivered” by an angel, accompanied by a whole host of angels. Imagine their surprise. The shepherds hadn’t ordered anything, and yet they were being informed they had just been given a miraculous, priceless gift!

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.’ ” (Luke 2:8-14)

What was the shepherds’ response to their “your package has been delivered” announcement? They could have ignored the news or put it off to deal with at a later time. (although angels are harder to ignore than an email) But the shepherds took immediate action. They were ready to receive God’s gift.

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. . . . The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” (Luke 2:15-20)

I like that the shepherds “hurried off” in pursuit of God’s gift and I like that after the shepherds saw God’s gift to them, Jesus, lying in the manger as they had been told, the shepherds then became announcers to the world of the message “your package has been delivered.” Luke says, “when they had seen Him, they spread the word.” Good News is hard to contain – it begs to be spread so that everyone can share in the joy. Reminds me of the Christmas song – “Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere . . . that Jesus Christ is born!”

This morning you and I can celebrate with the shepherds that “our package has been delivered!” A couple of days before this, I got an email telling me, “your package has shipped.” I guess Amazon wanted to give me a head’s up, so I could be on the lookout for my package. Amazon didn’t want me to miss it’s arrival. Long before Jesus’s arrival, Isaiah gave the world a pretty clear head’s up about God’s future gift to the world when he said –

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

There were lots of prophesies or “your gift is being prepared” notices along the way but the “your package has been delivered” notice comes right on time, so that you and I don’t miss what God wants to give us.

“But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)

God wants to adopt you and me into His family forever! What a gift! I don’t want to leave this gift unopened or unused or discarded or disdained or unclaimed. This gift of God is meant for me, it has my name on it. It has your name on it, too, dear readers. Let us celebrate and receive this gift together – this gift that makes us brothers and sisters, this gift that gives us a place in an eternal family!

The joy of Christmas morning – our package has been delivered! It has not been delayed, backordered, lost, delivered to the wrong address or misplaced. Our package, our Deliverer, has been delivered to us, to you and to me right on time. Let’s open the door and bring it in. Let’s make room to receive what we’ve been given. A Savior, a Rescuer, a protector, a provider, a shepherd, a Deliverer from death to eternal life. Best gift ever! Today I will open the door and let Him in!

“Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is He, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty – He is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10)

God’s gift has been given – my package has been delivered! Your package has been delivered too! Celebrate and give thanks to God.

sincerely, Grace Day