Day Eleven of Christmas
The Gift of a Savior
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:8-11
A Savior, according to Merriam-Webster, is one that saves from danger or destruction or one who brings salvation. To have a Savior, one must be in need of being saved from peril and recognize their need for salvation.
One Sunday as a six year old girl, I heard the good news of Christ for the first time as I sat in church with my mom and dad. Ironically, neither of them were followers of Christ then. My dad noticed that I was crying and asked if I wanted to go talk to the pastor. I nodded and his strong arms picked me up and carried me down the aisle. I told the pastor I wanted Jesus to forgive me of my sins and that I wanted to follow Him for the rest of my life. I met my Savior that day.
Walking out of the church, holding my dad’s hand that day, I remember looking up at him, knowing that He did not have my Savior in his life. He did go to church occasionally, but there was no fruit, no other evidence of salvation. Dad was a strong man who did not think he needed a Savior.
I began to pray at six years old for my Dad to come to know Jesus.
At the age of 58, my Dad’s life began to unravel. His fourth wife was threatening to divorce him; he was being laid off from his job and facing financial ruin. Dad was beginning to realize that he did need a Savior.
After thirty years of calling out his name to the Heavenly Father, my dad received Christ in February of 1995 – and his life changed radically.
Christmases after that were different. Dad usually came to visit a few days before Christmas Eve. We would exchange gifts, share meals and then he would announce his departure early Christmas Eve morning. We would always beg him to stay and we never understood why he wouldn’t.
One Christmas Eve we received the following email from him.
To My Girls:
As I sat down to write, it is Christmas Eve night. I attended a candle light service and was feeling a loneliness that I never felt before. Because I have no Christmas tree, I came back to my apartment and placed the candle in a bowl and lit the candle again. As the light from the candle begin to glow, I knew that I was not alone. Christ was by my side and I began to rejoice in His Love.
From the light of my small candle, I knew that God had not only given His Son to guide and love me, but also has given me a gift of very precious daughters. The gift that each of you have given me is more priceless than any material thing on this earth, and that is my grandchildren. Each one of them holds a very special place in my heart.
You have taken the love you have in the Lord, and placed it in the hearts of your children. I know that you could not have accomplished this without the help and love from your spouses. I feel very proud and blessed to know these fine men of yours. For each is a very loving husband and father.
My candle is just about out. Although it will stop burning, the love I have for the Lord, you, your husbands and the grandchildren will burn forever. I pray each day that God will guide and protect you, and that He places an Angel by the side of each grandchild to protect them.
May Christmas be alive in all our hearts each day and may the Son of God always be with you.
With All My Love, Dad
Dad’s Savior was with him. He went to live eternally with Christ about ten years later.
As Christmas Eve arrives, is there anyone you know who needs a Savior? Never stop praying for them. It is the very reason He came!
