The Perfect Christmas Gift

I love to see Jesus live. 

Can you picture the buzz and excitement in the air after Jesus fed the 25,000 plus people? Remember, the meal was the social time, the family time, the relational time.
Can you hear the topic of conversation about... 

• The look of anger and impossibility on the disciples faces before the miracle.
• The look on the disciples faces when more and more food was being handed out, coming from no where.
• The dreams of the possibility of Jesus becoming their leader to lead a rebellion.
• The questions coming from the elderly and the children about Jesus. What is this all about?

In all of this excitement, what did Jesus do? He was encouraging His disciples to get into a boat and go across the lake. He had the massive task of dismissing the 25,000 stomach fully satisfied, sleepy and dreamy people. Then He did what, I think, He loved to do; go up a hillside to meet with His Dad.

What was that meeting like? What was the topic of conversation? Who talked more? Was there a wonderful debriefing about all the life change? Was there a discussion of who was going to be called into servant leadership next? Was there a time to just chill and enjoy each other?

As I have gotten to know this Jesus, I know that He was and is a man/God of prayer. "Jesus is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf." Heb 7:25

I am sure His conversation with His Dad shifted from them to the crowds walking home and to the disciples out in the boat. It was a conversation saturated with intercession for each group, for each family, for each person.

I sense God inviting us to join Him in this intercession. Prayers that unleash the living Jesus upon all whom we know and especially those whom the Holy Spirit brings to mind. Can one of the daily Christmas gifts you give this year be that of private intercession?

I love that after hours of a beautiful conversation with His Dad, Jesus got up from His comfortable spot to be the answer to His prayers. He walked right up to that boat filled with struggling, complaining and questioning disciples to serve them once again. I can almost see the look of horror on their faces due to a seeming ghost. Can you see their faces turn to embarrassment to humility? Then the shift in their demeanor to gratitude and worship... true contentment, real joy, it doesn't get any better than this....

Maybe another gift that you can give this Christmas, is to listen to the Holy Spirit to give you the idea of how you can be the answer to your own Christmas gift of intercession.

How can you listen to God's answering your prayers so that you receive the next mission from Jesus?

How can you be like Jesus on that hillside when He finally heard His Dad say, "Ok, go help them."?

Whom is God saying, "Go, serve them." 
"Go, encourage them." 
"Go, treat them to a treat." 
"Go, spread a rumor of compliments about that person." 
"Go, ask that person what Christmas means to them." 
"Go, invite that person to lunch."

As you try and give the right Christmas gifts this season, maybe the best gifts you can give are the daily gifts of intercession and the daily gifts of being the answer to those prayers...

Let's be generous with these Christmas gifts this year.
Pastor Chris