By Marcus Kelly

New Life Foursquare

I love this time of year. I love the cold weather and my kids asking when it’s going to snow. I’m not sure who is more excited when it finally does snow, them or me. I love Christmas Eve candlelight service and singing Christmas carols with family and friends. I love watching my kids, and seeing the delight on their faces when they open the toy they’ve wanted all year, and the disappointment when they open socks. I guess I’m a twisted dad to think it’s funny.

Most of all I love thinking and reflecting on this season. The true reason for the season. Not Santa and reindeers or classic television shows, but the true reason for the season. The birth of the Christ child and the reason he came to us like he did. It really is a beautiful story. A God so in love with his creation that he sends his only son to come and live among us full man and full God. To redeem us back to him.

I’d like to share a story with you that I heard in Bible school which highlights this truth for us. A father wanted to spend more time with his son. So he bought his son a boat that they could put together in the evenings. This was not your average boat because that would not do for this father-son team. It was a big model boat that could float and had large sails on it. The son was so excited when his father brought it home.

They immediately cleared the kitchen table and started to work. This father-son creation consumed the household. The kitchen table became a work station. Both father and son were perfectionists. They glued and tacked everything together perfectly. Everyone was so excited as the boat began to take form.

Finally after weeks and weeks of hard work it was done. The father and son couldn’t wait to see it float. They drove to the lake and rushed the boat to the shore not paying attention to the time. It was just before dark when they placed the boat in the water. It floated perfectly. They dropped the sail and the breeze caught it. It began to float away. By this time the boat had made its way further out on the lake. The son was getting ready to jump in after it, but it was too dark and the son was too young. The father promised they would be back first thing in the morning.

Early the next morning the father and son went to the lake but to no avail. The boat was gone. The son burst into tears, the father tried to hold his back to be strong for his son. They drove back home and shared the devastating news with the family. Everyone was so disappointed.

Later in the week the father and son went for ice cream for added comfort. As they walked to the ice cream shop they passed by another trinket shop. The son looked in the window as he always did to see what neat toy they had on display, but there wasn’t a toy this day. Today there was a large model ship skillfully and lovingly made. The boy lit up and burst in the store. The owner was a grouchy, old man. He refused to give the boat back. He demanded $500 and not a penny less. The father tried to talk sense to the man, but to no positive conclusion, or the old man would not hear of it. Once the father realized the boat was now the shopkeepers and they would have to buy it back he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He gave the shopkeeper the $500 and redeemed the model, much to his son’s great delight.

The moral of the story is the same as the Christmas story. The father and son lost their greatest creation and would do anything to redeem it. So Jesus came as the Christ child and became our redeemer. He paid the price that was put on each one of us so that we could go back into relationship with our creator. Let’s not forget what Christmas is all about.