Michelle Smith

My husband, Gary, has fond memories of several older men in his Ella White School neighborhood who influenced his life in positive ways during his youth. One was a crusty, tobacco-chewing, but likable character, named Bob.

Bob knew all sorts of things about the great outdoors, and unexpectedly, was a skilled tenor banjo player who kept up a lively stream of toe-tapping music at each visit. Noting my husband’s interest in music, he offered to give him banjo lessons and so began several years of visits to Bob’s, many with me tagging along once we started dating.

The years went swiftly by – we were now married with three daughters and life was busy. Christmas was just over a month away and I was pondering what to give Gary. Our gifts to each other were typically simple and practical, but this year I wanted to give him something special and meaningful. Something totally unexpected.

I remembered hearing him mention a desire to buy a tenor guitar sometime in the future. Perfect! The search was on.

Working undercover, I consulted several musician friends and contacted the Elderly Instruments store in Lansing. After helpful input from their staff and much deliberation, I decided on a Martin brand – known known for their excellent craftsmanship and rich tone.

The guitar was shipped to my daughter’s house to be wrapped and secreted into our home on Christmas day and then sneaked upstairs to be hidden beneath the guest room bed. I had written a series of notes and tucked them in various locations around the house. Each one contained a clue sending him on a merry chase (with the entire family following) upstairs, downstairs, into the garage and back, and finally ending at the hidden package.

He was completely surprised. The beautifully crafted guitar remains his all-time favorite gift. Mine too. I found great pleasure in the process of deciding what to give him and in carefully concealing the plans until the arrival of Christmas Day.

As Christmas draws near, I can’t help but think of how God did not keep the coming of Jesus Christ, His great gift to mankind hidden. Instead, throughout the Old Testament He strategically gave clues that pointed to His plans for the upcoming arrival of His Son. Bible scholars estimate that there are 300-plus prophecies that point to Jesus’ first coming all of which were perfectly fulfilled.

Approximately 700 years before the birth of Jesus, God spoke through the Prophet Isaiah, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son and will call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14)”.

We encounter signs all the time, most are so common that we barely notice them and take for granted any information gained. For example, in our church we are required to post exit signs at each door calling attention to the way out. Ultimately it is not so much about the sign, but what the sign points to and the information it conveys.