LETTER FOR DECEMBER 1990
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Dear Friends,

What is the focus of your thoughts and your joy at Christmas time? As you plan and prepare for Christmas, and look forward to it, what is the centre of your joy and happiness.

I would like to give you a focus for your thoughts and it is the expression of unutterable wonder and joy expressed by the Apostle Paul at the end of chapter 9 in his second letter to the Christians in Corinth. "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift". 2 Corinthians 9:15.

This is how Paul thought of Jesus whom God gave to the world when Jesus was born as a baby in the stable at Bethlehem. A gift so wonderful, so precious, so valuable, so full of blessing, that Paul had no other words to fully express God's wonderful goodness and generosity in giving his only begotten Son.

Paul calls Jesus God's indescribable gift, because, although we can say so very much about what a great gift Jesus is to us, we can never really express all the greatness and blessing of the gift Jesus is to us.

The Gift of God to us at Christmas -- this indescribable gift of Jesus -- was a gift of total self-sacrificing love. When God caused Jesus to take human life and be born in Bethlehem, it was for one reason. God caused Jesus to be born, to grow into manhood, because Jesus must be prepared as a lamb for slaughter. His birth and life were all preparations for his death. The gift is indescribable because this was the plan and purpose of God in giving Jesus to us, that he might die to save us from death, eternal punishment and woe.

The death of Jesus was not an afterthought or a contingency plan because all else failed. It wasn't an expression of failure as if God's overtures of love in Jesus had well and truly been rejected by humanity. It wasn't a desperate effort to express love in the hope that hard hearts would be touched. No! It was God's plan and purpose of love from the beginning.

God's gift in Jesus Christ is truly indescribable. At the greatest cost to himself God was ready to give Jesus to indescribable and awful suffering, in order to deliver us from the just anger we have brought upon ourselves because of our sins.

God is the one who is offended by our hate and sin. He is the one sinned against. Yet God gives his most treasured one and only well beloved Son to take the punishment of our sins. He was ready to send Jesus to hell in our place, so that he could justly forgive and accept us who are the ones who have broken his will and law.

The indescribable wonder of God's gift is in the fact that God came down at Christmas, and lived with us, and showed his love to us and for us. The indescribable wonder is seen much more in the fact that God sent Jesus not simply to be with us, but to accept responsibility for all our sins and bear our guilt and punishment on the cross.

The Cross was no accident. The Romans and the Jews thought they were in control over Jesus when he died, but Jesus said they would have had no control over him if God had not given them that control, and if God had not purposed it. They had evil in their hearts towards Jesus, but God was working his purpose of love through their wickedness. They were to blame, but God provided through the death of Jesus a way our blame can be forgiven, both for us and for them.

The Cross and its pain was more than the physical suffering inflicted by humans. Much more, it was great pain and suffering inflicted directly upon Jesus by God himself, as he punished Jesus for our sin. The Romans and Jews scourged Jesus and drove nails into his body. God, for our sakes, brought the sword of his justice down upon Jesus and brought upon him all the infinite sufferings of Hell, so that he would pay the whole price of our sin. The greatest sufferings of Jesus on the cross were inflicted by God himself, so Jesus cried, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me". God inflicted this hellish suffering on Jesus so that we who deserve it might not have to suffer it.

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift. Christmas Joy is not simply that Jesus was born, but that he was born to die, and that God gave Jesus as our Saviour. "His name will be called Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" -- so heard the Shepherds on Christ's birthday.

Your servant for Christ's sake,