In case all the activities behind gift giving, festivities and parties are beginning to dampen your anticipation of Christmas, here’s something to think about. Have you ever wondered what it cost God to send Jesus to become one of us? Try this.

Think of someone who does not like you at all, a person whom you find so difficult to get along with, someone irritating, annoying, gets on your nerves, makes your blood boil, shoots up your blood pressure, hates you...get the picture? Now, imagine this.  Suppose this same person needs a kidney transplant very badly else he or she will die. For some freak reason, you discover that your favourite nephew is a match and qualifies to be a donor. By the time you hear the news, the kidney transplant has already taken place. Your favourite nephew just donated one of his kidneys to the person you’d rather not deal with at all. How do you feel about that now?

When I think of people who exploit the weakness and vulnerability of others, I feel hatred towards the acts of evil. Then, I remind myself that Jesus Christ came to save sinners - that includes every human being. Do you feel the emotion in these two verses below?

¹⁰He (Jesus) came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. ¹¹ He came to his own people, and even they rejected him (John 1:10-11 NLT). Imagine your loved one doing a huge life-saving favour for a person(s) rejecting you. Now you begin to get some sense of what it must have been for God to send Jesus to die for the whole world knowing full well that not everyone will even recognize Him and there will be those who will downright reject Him altogether.

Wait a minute. The deal gets better, which makes God’s offer of love so untouchable because no human being in their right mind would sacrifice themselves for someone they don’t like. God is not like us. He is so full of love that for those who do receive Jesus’ saving work and puts their trust in Him, God’s Word says they become part of God’s family. Yes, you read it right. Imagine a person you’d rather not have anything to do with, now has put his/her trust in Christ - becoming a member of your own family? ¹²But to all who believed him (Jesus) and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. ¹³ They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God (John 1:12-13 NLT).

Whether you like it or not, everyone in Christ, is family. No problem for the ones we get along with. But for people, whom we find difficult to love? Oh God, help! Please.

Allow me to push your buttons one more time. Can you and I bring ourselves to do as little as sincerely pray for God’s mercy and favour to be bestowed on people we like the least?

Merry Christmas!

ricky p. mapa, pastor