People pour in masses into the already crowded spaces, vowing next year to come earlier to avoid the chaos of Christmas Eve service. The worship team tunes their instruments and teases the audience with brief sounds of the songs to come. Small children sit in their finest dresses, feet dangling care-free above the floor they are not yet tall enough to reach. Friends and acquaintances warmly hug and wish one another a Merry Christmas. Others sit silently, hoping – even praying – to avoid the awkward approach of superficial conversation. Women hush their chatty children while, in the back of their minds, calculating how many minutes they have to cook the hors d’oeuvres in time for the company soon to follow.
All of heaven watches as a young man slowly and nervously enters a church for the first time in his life. He feels not only the gentle draw of the white lights and spiritual carols in the air, but the call in his spirit he cannot seem to quiet. This young man is uncertain why he is even there, but fights his doubts as he quietly slips into a chair in the back, hoping not to be noticed.
The worship time is beautiful and the sermon enlightening. The motives which stirred in hearts slowly shift with the passion of the message. The pastor is speaking of the gifts of the Magi.
The young man, uncertain of why he came, feels increasingly unsettled. There is a gentle whisper in his ear from an unfamiliar, but intriguing voice – the same voice which led him there in the first place. The service is coming to a close, and the young man is torn between the relief of leaving and the regret of leaving the same.
As closing remarks begin, there is a jolt in the pastor’s spirit, and he stops abruptly. The pastor knows what God is asking, and also knows there is nothing in that moment more important than the task in front of him. He apologizes to the audience and requests a few extra moments of their time.
The young man bolts upright in his seat, as the wooing voice gently whispers, “For you. This moment is for you. It is my gift to you and, if you choose to open it, I promise it will contain all that you seek, and all you never even knew you needed.”
Tears well in the young man’s eyes. He shuts them and lets the world around him fade away. All of Heaven gives pause as God raises His mighty hand to usher in the moment. As the young man follows the pastor’s leading to accept Christ into his heart, and prays in the only child-like words he knows, God draws His hand over His Book. With the slightest move of His fingers, the Book falls open and the pages sweep themselves open like the steady wave of the ocean. Heaven is silent. Not a breath can be heard as His great and glorious finger slowly engraves, in pure gold, that young mans’ name, into the Book of Life.
All of Heaven erupts in jubilation, as tears of joy stream down the Savior’s face. “One more home,” He said with a smile, “and this young man will bring many with him to the Kingdom for the sake of My Name; not the least of which will be his own family.”
The young man left with a new song in his heart. Left behind in his seat was a beautifully wrapped gift. On it was a tag which read, “To: The King of kings.” God’s eyes twinkled as He looked lovingly at the box, for He knew what rested inside. His angels gathered around His throne as He pulled loose the ribbon and carefully removed the top of the box. There, on a pillow of gold, rested a parchment created in 33 A.D., when the invitations to come to the Father were drawn with the blood of His Son, Jesus. It had one word written on it. “Yes.”
Loved One, there is only one gift fitting for the King of kings. It is our “yes.” It is the gift of our very hearts to Him. The significance of the parchment created in 33 A.D. is to show you, as Jesus hung, dying on that cross, it was for you. If was in full knowledge of the moment you would give your heart to Him. It was for your “yes.” If you thought your Christmas shopping was complete, I’m here to pass along the encouragement to take time to wrap one more gift. Let it be your “yes” to the King of kings.
“The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before My Father and His angels. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:5-6)
