I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. Philippians 4:18 ESV

Last week our small group had a party to signal the beginning of a summer break. Each person brought a dish of some kind, and we even invited some of our neighbors to join us. What a wonderful time it was talking about our summer plans and upcoming travels. Towards the end of our get-together, one woman asked offhandedly if I might be interested in her old guitar which she was thinking of donating to the thrift store. I didn’t hold out much hope about her instrument, but I offered to take a look, expecting a worn-out guitar in a dilapidated case. How surprised I was when Ginger walked with carrying a professional case, which when I opened revealed a very nice Yamaha in near perfect condition. Though the strings were overdue for changing, when I put a new set on I was delighted with the tone. Unknown to our friend Ginger, I had prayed a while back for a new guitar but had forgotten about it. Excitedly I called and thanked her for such a beautiful and unexpected gift! That got me to thinking about other unexpected gifts we read about in the Bible. Of course, we must begin with God’s amazing and unexpected gift of salvation, but in today’s verse, the Apostle Paul also shows his gratitude for a gift from friends. He had neither asked for nor expected them to send him anything, but when they did, he wrote to say thank you. He says that gifts like these are a fragrant offering an acceptable sacrifice and they make the heart of God glad. Let’s be thankful for those rare moments when we receive such gifts, because in them we see a tiny reflection of the heart of Jesus who came as the most unexpected gift of all! I do hope you will enjoy one of the first songs I got to play with my new gift. Have a blessed Sunday everyone!