Gifts are wonderful!
Imagine someone loving us enough to truly know who we are and what we long for. Then at great cost to themselves giving us what we want the most as a gift. This is of course what we remember and celebrate during Christmas. God loves us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we long for the most, under and behind and deeper than the longing we can actually verbalize. Then at great cost to himself gives a gift better than anything we could have asked for or imagined.
This is why we give gifts at Christmas, so that we might stir up within each other and remind each other what God has already given us. May our gifts this year be whispers of the great gift of Jesus given to us so many years ago.
The sermon this Christmas Sunday is especially designed for children since they will be with us during the sermon including a little active kid competition (better practice your balance) and candy of course. However, the sermon is not just for children. It is so easy to tarnish even the greatest gifts by how we receive them. Reflecting on John 3:16, my hope is that the Spirit will help us avoid some of the ways we diminish the gift of Jesus by how we receive him, and thereby increase our joy and confidence in our communion with him.
Have a great Christmas weekend! I can’t wait to worship together.
Merry Christmas,
Pastor David
