The first gift that I received this year was the gift of a new son. Well, actually he is my new son-in-law. My daughter was married this year and she has added a great young man to the family. He is a man who has a heart for God and who wants to be the man that God is calling him to be. And when it comes to a son-in-law, what more can a father ask for?

The second gift that I received this year was the news that I am going to be a grandfather. My first grandchild is due to be born in March and I cannot begin to comprehend what that will be like.

The third gift came recently and came by way of my son. One of the pastors at his church came up to me at the Christmas Eve service. He said that if the measure of a man is the way that his son turns out, then I am a very fortunate man. And I think I agree with him because I am very impressed by the young man that my son has become.

So, what did you get for Christmas?

I have received the greatest gift that I could have received this Christmas when it became clear that we were all going to be together as a family for Christmas. It is going to take a lot to top last Christmas in terms of material gifts since last year was the Beach House experience with our best friends in the world, the Woods.

But, this Christmas is already shaping up to be more blessed and more precious. We are together as a family and we are experiencing God’s blessings and His presence in our lives like never before. We look forward to celebrating the birth of the Babe in a manger and thinking about the impact of the gift of that Child on the world.

As a father I cannot help but wonder about all the thoughts that went through the head of Joseph of Nazareth. There must have been lingering doubts. Even after a supernatural visit from an angel. Nevertheless, Joseph took Mary to be his wife and became the earthly father of our Heavenly Father. Wow! What a responsibility that must have been for Joseph. History does not really record much of Joseph’s life. We don’t know how much of Jesus’ life Joseph was able to experience. There is no mention of Joseph in Scripture at the launch of Jesus’ public ministry at the wedding feast. In fact we do not hear anything of Joseph after the trip to the temple when Jesus was still a young boy. Perhaps Joseph died soon thereafter. Again, we don’t know.

But, I am blessed with the gift of seeing both of my children loving and serving God as adults. What more can this father ask for this Christmas?