We all probably think God doesn’t need anything. He probably doesn’t need new socks and underwear; probably God doesn’t want a new 4K flat screen, I would imagine that he doesn’t want a new cell phone. God is probably the hardest person we must buy for, if we even think of Him in our planning.
Do you think anyone ever asks God What He wants for Christmas?
Here is how Darius Rucker — country singer, R and B musician and ex member of Hootie and the Blowfish — answers the question in his song, “What does God want for Christmas”;
“I wonder what God wants for Christmas
Something you can’t find in a store
Maybe peace on earth, no more empty seats in church”
I think is a good start for God’s Christmas list. God, in the reading from Isaiah, promises us a world with no war and violence, but we need to change ourselves and our world, so it can happen. To be peacemakers means we learn to disagree with respects, to not return violence with violence, verbal or physical, to actively commit ourselves to work for harmony and the common good. What a great gift to give to God if we would commit ourselves in the coming year to be people of peace.
The most precious gift we can give God is the gift of ourselves. Darius sings “no more empty seats in Church”. Our worship here is to give God the glory and praise he deserves from all of us. Afterall, look what He did. He took on human flesh and then suffered and died for us. We cannot ever match that gift. To give the God the gift of our worship is an act of love. He created us and gives us everything we need; the least we can do is to say thanks!
Darius ends his song:
I wonder what God wants for Christmas
What kind of gift from you and me
More sister, more brother, more lovin’ one another
Yeah, I wonder, I wonder what God wants
By now we oughta know what God wants for Christmas
In my words, what God wants for Christmas is you. What God wants for Christmas is me. He wants everything: our love, our worship, our service. God wants us to put into use all the talents he has given us so that the Kingdom of heaven born in a stable can be born into our world. God want us to love him everyday of our lives and make Him a priority.
So what does God want for Christmas?
He wants you.
He wants me.
Let’s hope he is not disappointed when He opens his gifts tomorrow morning.
