Tossed with the Wrapping Paper

Every year our children, like most others, wake up at the crack of dawn on Christmas day and then wait anxiously FOR HOURS for their exhausted mom and dad to get up so they can open the presents.  When the groggy parents stumble out of the bedroom the kids still have to endure an obstacle course set up in the feeble attempt to guard our household against blatant commercialism of the holiday. We read an account of Jesus' birth from one of the gospels.  Then there is a sermonette (or perhaps a full-fledged sermon worthy of Charles Spurgeon?) on "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment", and Attitude of Gratitude, and Dangerous Dragons of Greed and Comparison. When glazed looks and yawns begun to overtake our audience, we decided to introduce How the Grinch Stole Christmas into our tradition.

No matter what we, as parents try to do, however, when the little beasts are unleashed, the same thing happens every time.  They tear into wrapping paper, scan the gift - briefly determine whether they like it or not - and irrespective of the result of the assessment,  throw it on a pile behind their backs. Then they move to the next package while the sea of crumpled pictures of Santas, Snowmen and Christmas trees grows deeper and wider, threatening to overtake our living room. Sometimes I wonder if we have tossed away some gifts along with the pile of wrapping paper.

They never take time to truly appreciate their gifts, I grumbled yesterday. They just shred the wrapping paper and think that's all there is to it.  

Then, in a split moment, I realize I am not that much different.  So many promises of the Word of God - His amazing gifts to mankind - remain piled up behind my back, drowning by the turbulent sea of circumstances of our lives.

Jesus started out His public ministry by the following words from the Book of the prophet Isaiah:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

Then He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. You could hear a pin drop in that room as eyes of all those who came to worship in the synagogue that day were fixed on Him. What does this young Rabbi have to say? Any new spin to the old word? What's for dinner tonight?

They heard these noble promises spoken long ago many times throughout their lives... perhaps grew a bit hard of hearing,  much of their hope and excitement by now dwindled down to embers, tempered by harsh realities of their everyday lives.

Then a gentle, soft-spoken bomb explodes in the room as the outrageous words of the young Rabbi reach their ears.

“Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”