PRESENTS
Presents
December 24, 2013
Ed Young
In our over-commercialized world, it can be easy to think that Christmas is all about gifts and presents. Everywhere we turn this time of year, we are overrun with advertisements and bombarded with commercials.
In this special Christmas message, though, Pastor Ed Young helps us understand the difference between our culture’s view of Christmas and God’s meaning for it. And he helps us remember that Christmas is all about Jesus – the ultimate gift, the perfect present.
Transcript
Merry Christmas, everyone! I know you guys are doing well. Is it just me or do you find that everybody is into hand sanitizers these days? It’s incredible. We’ve got to be the most sanitized culture in the history of the world. Hand sanitizers come in all shapes and sizes, gels, foams, even the towelettes. How many people in here have some hand sanitizers on you? Look at that. Look at that! In the balcony way up there! It’s unbelievable! We carry around hand sanitizers. My wife does a great job at that. And these hand sanitizers promise that if we really use their product we’re not gonna get sick. It’ll keep us from most diseases, and that’s true. But we have been invaded by the flu bug in our household so sometimes they don’t really do what they need to do. But hey, I like hand sanitizers.
ILLUS: When I have a dream, because I dream a lot at night, usually I don’t wake up and try to interpret that dream. ‘Cause that’ll send you to the ha-ha house. It’ll make you crazy. I did, though, have a dream a couple of months ago that I’ve gotta tell you about. This is pretty funny. You know, we have I don't know how many Christmas services here at all of our campuses. Who knows? Do you know how many we have exactly? Twenty- or 30-something? Anyway, I dreamed that I had not prepared anything to say. And public speaking is kinda weird anyway. I mean, I get nervous every time before I speak. People ask me that sometimes. “Do you still get nervous?” and the answer is yes!
Well, in this dream I’m pushed out onstage, looking at a sea of people like I’m looking at right now. And I did not know what in the world to do. Hadn't even studied a minute! So I just began to try to buy time, like, “I want to welcome all of our campuses…” And I was trying to talk about the different campuses and the vision of Fellowship Church while all the time I’m trying to think, OK. I’ve got to come up with a message. I’ve got to come up with a message. So I finally stopped and I said, “Today is Christmas and I’m gonna talk about present presence. The ultimate present…” in my dream I said this, “…is his presence.” Then I woke up. I thought, man, I like that! That’s a pretty good title! It’s Biblically correct.
The ultimate present is his presence. That’s Christmas. God walked down the staircase of Heaven with a baby in his arms. So, today that’s what I’m gonna talk about. I’m gonna talk about what I came up with, what God gave me now looking back in the dream. The ultimate present is his presence. The ultimate present is his presence.
Presents. Christmas is a time that we forget the past, forget the future, and think about the present.
