“And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” (1 John 4:14, KJV)
Before Christmas we went to Walmart to look for some Christmas tree ornaments. The section for the Christmas products was packed with all kinds of Christmas items. I didn’t know which way to turn.
We were looking for Christmas tree lights, but none were in the section in which we were looking. There was a distinguished young man working in this area. He seemed to be caught in the middle of it all, not understanding what it was all about. He looked overwhelmed!
I asked him where the tree lights were. He told us that they were in the garden section. Because he was a foreign young man and seemed a bit confused amidst all the to-do about Christmas, I asked him, “Do you know why Christmas is celebrated?”
He looked around at all the items and said, “No, I have no idea.”
I wondered how to begin this conversation with him to tell him about Jesus. “Lord, please help me,” I prayed.
I said, “I will tell you: God has a Son. His name is Jesus. Because God loved us so much, He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins, yours and mine, the whole world’s. He is the Saviour of the world. He is the Saviour of your soul. So, this is why Jesus was born. Not only that, after His death, three days later, He rose again from the grave so that we may have eternal life with Him and the Father in heaven. Jesus is alive, and He is forever talking to God the Father about us. He is praying for us. No other God has risen from the dead. And Jesus hears the thoughts of your heart. He wants you to know Him so that you may be in heaven when your time comes. So, at this time, we who believe in Jesus celebrate His birth, because He was willing to come to earth as the sacrificial Lamb of God to die for our sins.” I stopped and prayed, “Oh, Lord, I am not very good at this. This young, foreign man has never heard the gospel. Please help me.”
I looked at his nametag. “How do you pronounce your name?” The spelling was very long. I repeated his name after him. “Where are you from?” I asked.
“From India.” I was surprised, because he did not look Indian.
“Would you like to believe in Jesus?” I asked.
“I am not sure how to do this. But I want to give it a try,” he responded.
“Would you like for me to pray with you to help you?” I asked.
“I don’t know how to do this, but yes, I want to give this a try,” he repeated.
“Let’s pray.” I said. He looked straight into my eyes, as we prayed together, making sure that he was doing this right. He believed in Jesus as his Saviour, at His cross asked for forgiveness for his sins, and thanked Jesus for His love for him. Afterward, his whole face had such a peace.
“Can you explain to me what you just did?” I asked him.
“Yes. God has a Son. His name is Jesus. He is the Saviour of my soul. He loves us. He died on the cross for my sins. He was born to be the Saviour of the world so that we can be in heaven. And now I believe in Him as my Saviour.” When he was done, he smiled with such peace in his eyes. For a moment we stood in silence as the Spirit of God did the work. I was so surprised that he could so simply and assuredly explain in his own words the decision he had made. I thought, “What an amazing and glorious try!”
“Now you have a reason to celebrate. You have a Saviour—Jesus!” I told him.
“Yes, I do!” he said, smiling. “Thank you so much,” he added.
“Thank you for listening,” I responded.
As we walked to the garden area to look for the Christmas lights, my heart was filled with joy! God had placed His Son Jesus, the light of the world, in that young man’s heart.
“Abba, Father, that was a very distinguished young man. He didn’t look Indian either. How was it that he was assigned that day to the Christmas section of the store? And how confused he looked, as he looked at the area filled with all the Christmas items. The whole area was stuffed! Jesus, I felt so bad for him. I thought that he was foreign and was trying to figure out what this Christmas was all about. But, Jesus, the Holy Spirit helped me to tell him about You in the simplest way. I was not sure if he understood what I had shared. But it is the Holy Spirit alone who uses Your word to do the work in a heart. He alone reveals You, Jesus, not just the words of man, but the supernatural work of Your Spirit to reveal You as the Saviour of the world. Thank You Holy Spirit. We praise You, Lord, Jesus, that at Christmas time and every day, we have a reason to celebrate. You are the Son of God, the Saviour of the World, the Prince of Peace!”