THE GREATEST GIFT

God’s own son was born this day,
That we might know the gift of Grace..
In a lowly manger in Bethlehem
Shepherds, wise men all embraced
This Babe.
He grew in wisdom and favor with God
His death on the cross was the sacrifice
That we too might know His LOVE
He gave His life, He paid the price
This man.
Our gifts are small indeed
Compared to one of such magnitude
The greatest gift has been revealed
We turn to Christ in gratitude
Our Savior.
Wilhelmine Mitchell

Taken from a newspaper article by Chester L. Washington, Publisher of the Los Angeles Times written either in the 1970’s or 80’s.

If you really want a happy and beautiful Christmas there are many things that you can do. The real spirit of giving is embraced within your heart. For it isn’t always the gift or the gesture which warms the heart of someone else. It’s the thought which prompts your efforts to make others happy during the sacred and joyous Yuletide. Only then, is it possible to grasp the significance of that first Christmas…to savor the sweet music of the angel choir, to envision the star-struck sky, and glimpse behind the eyelids the reality of light that brightened a darkened path and changed the world. Thus to fully enjoy Christmas, why not:

Mend a quarrel………seek out a forgotten friend………write a love letter……..
Share some treasure……..Give a soft answer……………Encourage someone……….Show you loyalty in word and deed……….Keep a promise…….Forego a grudge…………Forgive an enemy…………Listen……………Apologize if you were wrong………..Try to understand……Dispel envy……..Examine your demands of others………..Think first of someone else………..Appreciate……Be kind………..Be gently………..Laugh a little……………laugh a little more…………….Express your gratitude…………….Go to church………Believe in God……Welcome a stranger…………Gladden the heart of a child……………Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. ………Speak your love……..Speak it again………..Speak it still once again.
Do even some of these things and we sincerely predict that you will have a wonderfully heartwarming and merry Christmas. Ches

The modern philosopher, Walt Whitman once said: “Behold I do not give lectures or a little charity. When I give, I give myself.” Thus the Supreme gift the Greatest Gift is Love given to us abundantly by our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ.