No greater gift

So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. (Hebrews 9:11-14)

With his own blood - we are bought with a price we could not pay; given a gift we could not earn; and brought into a position we could never possess apart from Christ. One sacrifice - one time - for all time. We are secure because of his gift - the gift we received so many Christmas morns long ago. The old passed away and the new has come. What the 'old systems' of worship and good deeds could never do was done in one moment in time, but it lasts an eternity.

What all our good deeds (good works) and acts of 'contrition' could never do for us has been done through the blood of Christ - our consciences are made pure. If you have ever dealt with a sense of guilt because of your past deeds, something you have said or done that just didn't 'sit well' in your conscience, you know the extreme joy and peace that comes when you finally bring that thing into the light and get rid of it once and for all. The conscience has a way of holding onto the 'bad' we do, but it also reminds us of the 'bad' we are!

The purity of conscience Christ offers is not just a one-time deal. It is a lifetime of us feeling 'guilt' for misguided actions and poorly spoken words, bringing those things to him in full repentance, and feeling that 'load of guilt' lifted. Peace settles in around our souls and we feel 'at one' again with Christ. There is no greater gift we could 'open' this Christmas - for that gift has been given already. We just need to open up our hearts to receive the gift. Just those wrapped gifts under the tree this season, this gift is received when we accept it as ours. Just sayin!