I want to welcome all of you to this most special of all evenings, as we gather to celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus yet again into our lives. The definition of Jesus’ name reminds us all of why we are here, for Jesus means “he who saves.” And Jesus, himself, tells us the reason he came to us on this day. “I came for God so loved the world God sent God’s Son not to condemn the world but so the world might be saved through him.”

Salvation is the cornerstone of our faith, and yet I believe it is also one of the most misunderstood parts of our faith. Tonight, I would like to share just a short thought that I believe opens the door to an understanding of salvation and prepares us to take a journey of salvation with Jesus, who we call the Christ. You see, I believe that salvation is a gift freely offered to us and not something we must achieve or earn, like I so often hear. But like all gifts, it must be received, it must be accepted for its benefit to have any impact on our lives.

Let me tell you a story, which I believe illustrates what I believe very well. It is a true story which takes place during my very first Christmas season at the very first church I ever pastored. I was working at my home office when I heard a knock at the door. It was a woman from one of my churches. I say one of my churches, for I was actually assigned three. I invited her in and we chatted for a short while. Finally she said, “I just dropped by because I have a Christmas card for you. I thanked her, and after a few more pleasantries she turned to leave. Just before I was to close the door, she turned and asked, “You do open your cards don’t you?” It certainly caught me off guard, but when I recovered I assured her that I indeed open my cards. If anyone took the time to send me a card I surely read it. That seemed to appease her and she turned to leave again when she all of sudden burst into this hysterical laughter. Now I was really concerned. Again she turned and said, “That must have sounded like a really bazaar question. Knowing there was no good response to that statement I decided that silence was a good thing. She said, “Let me explain why I asked.”

Last year I gave a card to your predecessor. Several months later I was trying to balance my check book but I could not get it to balance. Finally, I discovered that the check I had given your predecessor had never been cashed. So embarrassingly for me and him, I had to ask him if he ever opened his Christmas card. He sheepishly had to admit he had not. So I suggested he go home and find the card and open it. “I understand,” she said, “that there was a little justice that took place, for he had to look several hours before he found it stuffed in a drawer by the door. Obviously he opened the card and found his Christmas present.” Again we chatted for a few more moments and then she left. I can assure you that her car was not even out of my driveway before I had opened her card and received the gift it contained.

You see, that is what tonight and the coming of the baby is all about for me. God’s gift of love has come into the world. But like all gift exchanges there is a series of steps that must take place before the process is complete. Someone in their deepest love for another can give another a very generous or a very meaningful gift. It may even be sacrificial in what it cost, or it may be very meaningful by the length of time it took to find or make just the right one. Anyway, in a deep sense of love and commitment to another the gift is chosen, it is then wrapped and given to the beloved. But the process is not complete. If the person who receives the gift does not open it, does not complete the process of exchange the gift is never received, even if it is in the person’s possession. It is like it was never given.

My predecessor was a college student. I know he could have used the money many times for many different reasons. For food or tuition just to name a few. He was in possession of the gift, but because he was unaware of what he had, he did not open the gift, so it was just like not having it at all. That is also the same when it comes to the greatest of all Christmas gifts, the Son of God who we call Jesus, the one who saves, whose birth we celebrate this evening.

I believe God saved the world 2000 years ago. The one who came, came as a gift to show us that God loves us deeply and eternally. This is exactly what the passage in Ephesians is telling us. “For by grace, which means unconditional, unearned loved, you have been saved through faith. Faith means to believe deeply, to trust implicitly. It is how we receive the gift. Grace, unconditional love, is a gift given, but because it is a gift it must be received. It is a gift so no one can boast, so no one can say I am saved and you are not. So no one can say I’m in and you’re not. But, as a gift it must be received, it must be opened for it to make a difference. Opening the gift for us means receiving salvation. If we do not open it, it is something given but not yet received.

This is why Nancy and I were so intentional this Advent season about sharing how we prepare ourselves to receive the Christ. It is how we open our hearts, how we seek the avenues and pathways to receive the gift of God’s grace, God’s unconditional love into our lives.

This understanding causes us to have a totally different understanding of who we are and what God asks from us as disciples of Christ for the coming year. He came to teach us and tell us about the wonderful love of God and to show us the gift our lives can be if we follow the gift. We are already surrounded by love. We already have the door to a full relationship with God in our midst. The gift has been here for 2000 years, but some have still not received it. Some do not even know they have this gift in there presence, and so it does them no good.

We celebrate tonight, for we know about the gift which has come and is part of our lives. Our calling as people who have received the gift, is now to bring the gift of Christmas to the attention of others. To let them know the real “Good News” that God so loves them that God has sent a son as the gift to experiencing this love. We do not have to be saved, we are saved. But if you do not receive the gift, if we do not even know about the gift, if it remains unopened in someone’s life. It does not matter that it was given, for the person still lives as if it has never been given. As the Apostle Paul said, “How can someone believe in one they have never heard. May we indeed not only be hearers of God’s good news, may we also be people who are bearers of “Good News.” May we bear the gift to all who needs to receive it. For people must willingly receive the gift, if the love is ever going to enter into their life and bring God’s saving grace to them.

Sermon delived by Rev. George Cushman on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2005.