Christmas Lord’s Supper Meditation: The Greatest Gift
by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 4:27pm

THE GREATEST GIFT: ACTS 20:35 — “ REMEMBER THE WORDS OF THE LORD JESUS, THAT HE HIMSELF SAID, ‘IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE.’”

LET’S GET ONE THING CLEAR: JESUS DOES NOT SAY IT IS BAD OR WRONG TO RECEIVE GIFTS. HE JUST SAYS THAT THE ONE WHO GIVES IS MORE BLESSED THAN THE ONE WHO RECEIVES.

BUT YOU ARE STILL VERY MUCH BLESSED IF YOU ARE ON THE RECEIVING SIDE OF A GIFT. THIS IS GOOD TO KNOW, SINCE IT IS CHRISTMAS TIME, AND MUST OF US LIKE THE BLESSING OF RECEIVING GIFTS!

LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT THE GREEK WORD TRANSLATED “BLESSED,” WHICH IS MAKARIOS. ONE COMMON MEANING IS “HAPPY.” I.E., “THOSE WHO GIVE ARE HAPPIER THAN THOSE WHO RECEIVE.”

(IT COULD MEAN “HAVING FUN,” AS IN “IT’S MORE FUN TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE”!)

NOW A QUESTION: WHAT IS THE BEST GIFT YOU EVER RECEIVED FOR CHRISTMAS AS A KID? FOR ME THAT’S EASY: AN ERECTOR SET (SIZE 8 1/2; WITH MOTOR AND MAGNET! THAT CHRISTMAS, OVER 60 YEARS AGO, I WAS WITHOUT DOUBT THE HAPPIEST KID IN STAMPING GROUND, KY! BUT IF THAT’S SO, I WAS NOT THE HAPPIEST PERSON IN STAMPING GROUND; MY PARENTS WERE, BECAUSE OF ACTS 20:35!

NOW LET ME CHANGE THE QUESTION: WHAT IS THE BEST GIFT YOU EVER RECEIVED, ANYWHERE OR ANYTIME? I ALREADY KNOW WHAT IT WAS! AND IT IS A CHRISTMAS GIFT, TOO! THE REASON I KNOW IS, BECAUSE I RECEIVED THE SAME GIFT! GOD GAVE US ALL THE GIFT OF HIS SON! JOHN 3:16!

THIS IS WHAT CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT, ISN’T IT?

BUT THERE IS MORE TO THIS GIFT: GOD GAVE US THE GIFT OF HIS SON, BUT WHAT DID THE SON HIMSELF GIVE US? SEE MATTHEW 20:28: THE SON OF MAN CAME TO GIVE HIS LIFE A RANSOM FOR MANY!

THIS GREATEST OF ALL GIFTS IS WHAT WE ARE REMEMBERING RIGHT NOW, AS WE PARTAKE OF THE LORD’S SUPPER.

IN FACT, THE VERY NIGHT WHEN JESUS GAVE US THE LORD’S SUPPER, HAVING TAKEN SOME BREAD, HE GAVE THANKS AND BROKE IT, AND GAVE IT TO THEM, SAYING, “THIS IS MY BODY, WHICH IS GIVEN FOR YOU; DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME” (Luke 22:19).

AS YOU ARE HOLDING THE EMBLEMS IN YOUR HANDS, THINK TO YOURSELF: “THESE REPRESENT THE GREATEST, MOST WONDERFUL GIFT I HAVE EVER RECEIVED!”

HOW BLESSED SHOULD YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW? HOW HAPPY?

BUT DON’T FORGET: THE ONE WHO GIVES IS HAPPIER THAN THE ONE WHO RECEIVES. AND WHO IS THE GIVER? GOD!!

SO IF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS ARE THE GREATEST GIFTS YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED, OR THAT ANYONE HAS EVER RECEIVED, YOU SHOULD BE THE HAPPIEST PERSON IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW!!

NO, WAIT – THERE IS ONE OTHER PERSON WHO IS HAPPIER THAN YOU — THE GIVER OF THE GIFT YOU WILL SOON BE HOLDING IN YOUR HANDS: JESUS THE SON OF GOD!!