Infinitum Family Advent, Week 3Sample

What does it mean to RECEIVE something? Let’s imagine that I am handing you a wrapped present (you’re welcome :) ). The first way you receive it is to hold out your arms to take it from me. But then you open it, and that’s a different kind of ‘receive.’ For instance, if you discovered that what I’d wrapped up as a gift was a gigantic bag of M&Ms, but there was dirt all over them, it wouldn’t feel the same as if I had given you a gigantic bag of M&Ms (the peanut butter kind since those are my favorite and I want only the best for you!) sealed up and all un-dirti-i-fied. Now…I guess it’s possible that my beloved peanut butter M&Ms are gross to you, so maybe you don’t ‘receive’ my real gift either :) But you get the point. Receiving is more than a physical thing you do with your arms. It’s actually a heart condition!

So now picture this…God squeezes Himself into a tiny baby human and shows up on earth. WE know this was a gift He gave to us, but have you ever thought about the fact that God was maybe worried or wondering if we would RECEIVE Him? Sure, He could make sure that physically the Baby Jesus was received, but just like you can’t make someone be your friend, God was wondering at the very first Christmas whether or not He would be received. Or welcomed.

What a brave thing for Him to do. You’ve tried to make a new friend before; it takes courage!

When we tell the Christmas story, we always say, “but there was no room for Him at the inn” when we’re explaining why God was born in a barn … but this Christmas, I wonder if there is room for Him in our hearts? Have we received Jesus in the way He was hoping?

Maybe some time ago, you invited Jesus into your heart & life, but let’s use our imaginations again for a moment … picture your heart. In this place, you store the love you have for your family, the memories that bring you joy & even the memories that still hurt when you think about them. Use your imagination to take a little tour of your heart. Is there any place in your heart where you might not want Jesus to go with you on this tour?

Some of us get uncomfortable when Jesus wants to talk to us about our mistakes. For others, we feel stubbornness start when Jesus wants to talk to us about being kind to certain people. And some of us get pretty scared when Jesus wants to talk to us about ideas He has for things we can do to bring His beauty to the world.

We do not need to be afraid; Jesus is gentle and loving and always safe in every corner of our hearts. So maybe this Christmas, the gift you can give to Jesus is receiving Him (welcoming Him) aaaaaaallll the way into your heart. Every little corner & secret passageway.