Robert Fulghum is the author of the popular book, "All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten." In a later book, he told a wonderful story about his daughter Molly. When Molly was seven years old, she liked to help pack lunches each morning for her brothers, her dad, and herself. Into each bag, she would put a share of sandwiches, apples, milk money, and sometimes she would add a surprise note or treat.

One morning for no apparent reason, she gave her dad two bags: one regular lunch sack, and another rumpled bag held together with duct tape, staples, and paper clips. "Why two bags?" her dad asked. "The other one is something else," she answered. "Just some stuff. Take it with you." Obediently, Dad stuffed both sacks in his brief case, kissed his daughter goodbye and rushed off to his office.

When lunchtime came, Robert pulled out both bags. While eating lunch, he tore open the special bag and poured out the contents on his desk: two hair ribbons, three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a pencil stub, a tiny seashell, two animal crackers, a marble, a used lipstick, a small doll, two chocolate kisses, and thirteen pennies. Dad smiled as he examined Molly's trinkets, he was touched. But then responsibilities called. He had to rush off to important matters. Quickly, he swept the desk clean into the trash basket, leftover lunch, Molly's junk and all. There wasn't anything valuable there, nothing he really needed.

However, that evening, Molly came in while Dad was reading the paper and said: "Where's my bag?" "What bag?" "You know, the one I gave you this morning." "I forgot to put this note in it." (She handed over the note) "And besides, I want it back." "Why?" "Those are my things in the sack, Daddy, the ones I really like. I thought you might like to play with them, but now I want them back. You didn't lose the bag, did you, Daddy?" Tears puddled in her eyes. "Oh no, I just forgot to bring it home." "Bring it tomorrow, O.K?" "Sure thing, don't worry." As she hugged her dad's neck with relief, he unfolded the note that had not made it into the sack. It read, "I love you, Daddy."

Molly had given her dad her real treasures, all that a 7-year-old girl held dear. Love in a paper sack… and Dad had missed it. Not only missed it, but had thrown it away because he didn't see anything valuable there. "O, dear God, forgive me," he prayed as fathers often have to do. Fulghum rushed back to the office that night to search through the garbage for Molly's jewels. Fortunately, he got there just ahead of the janitor and he found them. He had to wash mustard off the dinosaur and spray away the smell of onions, but he found them.

The next evening, he returned the precious sack to Molly, and he listened attentively as Molly described the importance of each and every item in the bag. Several days later, Dad got to take the bag to work again. He felt forgiven. And trusted. And loved… and a little more comfortable wearing the title, "Father." Robert Fulghum concluded the story with these words:

"In time Molly turned her attention to other things, found other treasures, lost interest in the game, grew up. Something else. Me? I was left holding the bag. She gave it to me one morning and never asked for its return. And so I still have it. If the house ever catches on fire, it goes with me when I run. Sometimes I think of all the times in this sweet life when I have missed the affection I was being given. A friend calls this 'standing knee deep in the river and dying of thirst.' So the worn paper sack is there… left from a time when a child said, 'Here… this is the best I've got… take it… it's yours. Such as I have, give I to thee.'"

That's a beautiful heart-warming story, isn't it? Because it reminds us of a very important truth, namely this: that the best gifts of all are the gifts that money can't buy. I hope we will remember that this Christmas. From the time the Wise Men of old brought their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the manger, Christmas has been a time of giving. I'm all for that, especially if the gift-giving is a part of our faith response to the greatest Christmas gift of all, God's gift of the Savior to the world, God's gift of the Christ Child to you and me.

That was a gift that money can't buy. That was a gift of love. Undeserved love. Are You Looking for LOVE? Well, here is a gift of love for you! A gift you and I couldn't possibly fathom or deserve. Love isn't a feeling or emotion or bunch of warm-fuzzies. Love means doing something for someone, even though they don't deserve it. Loving means giving of yourselves for others. You know, the way you and I have failed again and again, every moment of every day! Love is the kind of thing God did for you and me, when there was no reason in the world that He should have not wiped us off the face of the earth for our actions of war against Him! Love is the gift He sent here, the promise He kept, the grace He showed when Jesus was born in the little town of Bethlehem. If you are looking for real LOVE, that is what love is! You and I are standing knee-deep in the river of love. Are you still thirsty?

This week I heard a story of a woman who was out Christmas shopping with her two children. She spent hours looking at row after row of toys and everything else imaginable. And after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the elevator with her two kids. She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season time of the year. Overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every housewarming, taste all the holiday food and treats, getting that perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list, making sure we don't forget anyone on our card list, and the pressure of making sure we respond to everyone who sent us a card. Finally the elevator doors opened and there was already a crowd in the elevator. She pushed her way into the elevator and dragged her two kids in with her and all the bags of stuff. When the doors closed she couldn't take it anymore and stated, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up and shot."

From the back of the car everyone heard a quiet calm voice respond, "Don't worry, we already crucified him." For the rest of the trip down in the elevator it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

Are you looking for LOVE? That is what love is! God sending his Son into the world to live the calm, perfect, contented, faith-filled, positive, loving, unselfish, caring, patient, giving, and sacrificial life that you, I, and the woman in the story failed to do. And then, allowing Himself to be strung up and crucified in our place! Because He wants us to be forgiven and on good terms with his Father in Heaven. And because of what He did, we are! Are you looking for love? That, my friends, is love! Amen.

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