So, I was sitting there in a dark living room sometime a little too close to midnight, listening to a song that was only made because there is a God. Most of you know the story, and if you don’t, I’d love to share it with you. The verses of the song talk about the lavishness of the Almighty to give up Heaven’s Prince for us, and the last chorus goes like this: “In awe of His glory, we shout alleluia/ In the Holy of holies, we fall on our knees/ In the arms of our Father, we will sing/ This is the greatest gift of all.” Strange how you can hear truth a hundred times, and yet on that hundred-and-first time, you’ll suddenly be struck breathless all over again. It was the last line that did it this time. “This is the greatest gift of all.” I’ve received a few gifts in my lifetime. A five-pound bar of pure, happy (healthy) chocolate. A little chestnut Arab who is stubborn and rude beyond reason and just happens to be the dearest horse in all the world. Deep red roses from my dad on Valentine’s Day. A drooping dandelion held proudly up in the hands of a child. Nine emails read all on the same day from friends saying they were praying for me and my band as we recorded our song. Even chocolate-covered pickles. Gifts that blow my mind and leave me grinning from ear to ear. Gifts both wonderfully extravagant and astonishingly simple. Gifts of love.
But this song wasn’t talking about any of those gifts. This song said the greatest gift . . . the deepest, the sweetest, the dearest, the loveliest, the very best. The gift of a Man dying when I should have died . . . the gift of a face spit on when I should have been humiliated . . . the gift of a body broken when I should have been destroyed . . . the gift of a heart that was big enough and willing to swallow the horrible ending meant for me and so gain the right of rewriting the way the story ends. I John 3:16 is a simple verse with a great truth. It reads, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.”
That is the greatest gift of all. For those of you who haven’t yet heard the song, I look forward to sharing it with you. Prepare to be blown away - not by any talent or musical abilities, but by the passion of the truth. The love of Jesus is a wind that sings forever . . . wings that conquer every storm . . . raw sunlight to erase any darkness. It is altogether indescribable . . . and - this is the best part - it was poured out in a downright flood just for me! Just for you. Let Him sweep you off your feet.
