Gifts

Sunday morning retuning:  Pastor Myron Daum continued to walk us through Luke, every trying to encourage us to stay one step behind Jesus.  He challenged us to deal humbly with God’s word.  Have you done that at all since Sunday? Are you committed to getting into it so it can get into you? If you are not sure, maybe you can find some inspiration here.

Who doesn’t like receiving gifts?  I mean really.  When someone has a beautifully wrapped present and says, "This is for you", who doesn't get excited?  Probably most of what you're thinking about his material and that's understandable. But what about the immaterial, eternal gifts that God gives us in the season were about to celebrate?

Next Sunday signals the beginning of another Christmas season with the first Sunday of Advent. Over those five Sundays we will ponder together the gifts that God has given us through his son, Jesus Christ, Emmanuel.  We will think of Jesus, grace, adoption, reconciliation, and expectancy, each of them gifts of immeasurable value, all expressions of God's great love for us.

The series is called “The Gift of Christmas”. We are putting together a postcard and some other resources for you to be able to share these precious gifts with the people in your lives over this next season. Who will you offer them to?

It makes me think of Romans 6:23.  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. “ I am confident there are people in your life who do not know this.  This is the Gospel.  Good news.  Even if you feel unequipped to share it with them, will you please invite them to come and hear it at church over these five Sundays?  I do not want you to feel guilty, but I hope you do feel some conviction!  We must tell them, and what better time and way than through this amazing season.

Let me tell you a story to drive this point home.  Many of you know that Julia leaves for Jordan in January.  Julia, Jordan, January.  She has been such a blessing to our worship ministries I felt inclined to bless her as she goes to be a blessing elsewhere.  She had mentioned a desire to purchase a guitar to take with her.  Perfect!  We purchased this for her from our Music Fund last week.  YAY!

Here’s the point.  I wish you could have seen her face when we opened the box.  It is a beautiful guitar she will play beautifully to reveal the beauty of our God.  She was so excited!  And yet that pales in comparison to how excited the people you invite will be when they receive the gifts Jesus offers them.  Will you offer the gifts of Christmas to someone this season that you might usher in a whole host of blessings they currently do not even realize are theirs for the taking? I know I will.

Jesus, overwhelm my heart again today with the extravagance of your gifts to me, and compel me to share them with others. In Jesus name.  Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy