The Red Bike

For the wages of sin is death,

but the gift of God is eternal life

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23

I had gone through the procedure my parents had asked me to go through even though I really didn't agree with them. Up until age 8, I had a scooter. I really wanted a bike, but in those days, there weren't various sizes of bikes for different sizes of children. You got a ladies bicycle when you finally got a bike. However, my parents assured me that if I stuck with riding my scooter well, I wouldn't have to learn how to ride a bike...like I believed that. One summer evening though, a neighbor girl let me try to ride her bike and I took off like you wouldn't believe. I could balance the bike and steer the bike...just didn't know how to put the brakes on the bike. I couldn't wait to go tell my parents. I just knew I was ready for a bike.

That Christmas just before my eighth birthday, there by our Charlie Brown Christmas tree stood a beautiful bright red bike. It didn't take long though to see that it was a used bike that my dad had painted at the body shop attached to the car dealership where he was the service manager. As I looked at it, the handle bars were sort of an odd shape. When I took it out to ride, the right pedal made a clicking sound as the pedal would slightly strike a part of the bike frame. There wasn't a bell on it nor a basket. I would end up getting those for my birthday in just a few weeks, but didn't know that at the time. My bike didn't begin to compare with bikes other friends got that year, but I knew it was what my parents wanted me to have. I was riding that bike until I went to college. I think I must have ridden it up and down every block in our town, even later, on occasion out to the city lake with some teen friends. That bike was my friend and often my escape when some days weren't going so well and I felt the need of riding with the wind in my face.

When I graduated from college, I worked for a year at a nearby Baptist Children's Home as a cottage parent to about 16 girls of different ages. Our place was right next to the city park. Once and only once, I suggested to the older girls that we go for a bike ride in the park. I left the younger girls with an assistant, the rest of us grabbed bikes and we took off toward the park. As I took off on the bike I grabbed, I suddenly heard “click, click, click” as I was pedaling the bike. I looked at the handle bars and they were odd in shape. A closer look at the very rusty front fender revealed some bits and pieces of bright red paint. It was my old bike...my old friend. My Mother had given my bike to the children's home and I wasn't aware of it. It was okay with me but what a shock to be riding my old bike that had been given me when a little girl. I could have selected any bike on the bike rack but as God often surprises us, I had the joy of riding my old friend once again.  That bike ended up being a gift that kept on giving.

There are many kinds of gifts that keep giving and those are the gifts that are the most meaningful and even memorable. Christmas is a time for giving and what is given doesn't have to be gifts that are large or expensive...not even a bright red, used bicycle. There are many ways during this holiday time we can give. Material gifts are fine. I'm afraid though that children are often trained in that process that Christmas is all about what they find under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning.  With every pile of gifts under our trees, we are telling our children our reason for the season.  On that morning, parents can read the Christmas story until they are blue in the face, but let me tell you that children have other things on their mind.  There may be some folks we know who could use a gift certificate for a gas station or grocery store. Those things will melt into memory. Perhaps a young mom could use the gift of babysitting for a few hours. These are gifts that stay in one's mind and that the receiver may in turn pass on at a later time to others in need.

God is our example in giving although there's no way we can match all He has given us and continues to give us. He topped off everything in giving us His son Jesus. That's what Paul refers to in Romans 6:23. God gave us the gift of His Son and this IS the Gift that keeps on giving and giving and giving. At this Christmas season, I would hope we all could take moments alone with God in thanksgiving for His goodness to us in sending Jesus who would later die for us personally as well as for the sin of mankind . All of this is ours so that we might experience eternal life,...never ending, along with His joy unspeakable and full of glory.

"Joy to the world, the Lord IS come..."

Thank You Father for the greatest gift of all. We hear “Jesus is the reason for the season” but one has to wonder when we see the full shopping carts of so many who don't seem to give Your Son a thought. Thank you for giving us Your Son Jesus...the Gift that keeps on giving. Thank You for Your wonderful gift to us that we might have life and joy in abundance.

Amen.