Christmas gift

The Best Gift is Free

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. Matthew 5:7 ESV

It is not long until Christmas and some might be thinking about what kind of gifts to give. For the people closest to us we often focus on something personal. For those whom we do not know so well we may stockpile a few generic gifts. But what kind of gift do you suppose God would choose to give?

Well the Bible tells us that He gave us life and breath. The Apostle John goes further and says that God gave His only Son that if we believe in Him we could receive eternal life.  But if we look a little closer we see that when Jesus came, He didn’t just stick around long enough to do miracles and then return to heaven waiting to see if we would believe. He came with one very specific job to do. He came to give His life as a sacrifice for our sins.

20190407_192302_Film4.jpg

The difference between the Christian and the non believer is not whether we grew up in the right family, are members of the right church, or even give a lot of money to the poor. Our one essential characteristic is that we have come, one by one to the foot of the cross and received the gift of mercy that Jesus came to give. Now He asks us: “Will we be willing to give away the greatest gift that we have ever received?” Why can’t we give mercy to others this Christmas? And why not give it to more than just our loved ones and friends? Why not give it to neighbors, strangers and even enemies? Mercy is the greatest gift we could ever receive or give and best of all it is always free!

 

Making the Christmas Candy

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.                      John 15:12 ESV

Every year as we approach Thanksgiving my wife begins preparing to make her Christmas candy. Of course preparing doesn’t begin with cooking it means buying almonds, chocolate, butter and pounds and pounds of sugar. It has become a family tradition for forty five years and it makes me wonder if anyone can or will carry it on after she is gone. Of course she has written down her recipes and even given them to several others in the family. But no one yet has made even a single batch of fudge or turned out a sheet of almond butter crunch.

Nancy’s Christmas candy gets shipped to six states and is shared with a crowd as diverse as the lawn man, the guy who picks up our garbage as well as the pastor of our church. It has become her annual reminder that God loved them so much that He sent Jesus and if they will receive nothing more of her message they can still delight in the sweetness of her gifts. When Jesus said for us to love one another as He loved us; He didn’t mean for us to all do it the same way. Nancy’s way has eclipsed the careers of politicians, movie stars and famous athletes. Few will remember the winners of super bowls, elections or academy awards; but the taste of Nancy’s Christmas candy remains as an eternal reminder of God’s love in a special way.

Imported from phone 170

Maybe our prayer this morning could be, “God what is the recipe for the way you want me to share your love today?” Loving in God’s way always means to do it like Jesus did; but it also means to cook with the unique ingredients that He has put in the pantry of our heart to use.

 

Lentil Soup and a Wise Man’s Gift

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:11 ESV

“What’s for dinner honey?” I said with a laugh knowing that it would be lentil soup for its fourth and final performance. Those first years of our marriage any shopping was a low cost adventure. Though Christmas was coming a tree and decorations were things we didn’t even dare imagine.

Christmas Eve came and since it was pay day, I waited line for my check (about a hundred dollars). “Merry Christmas” My boss said winking as he handed me my envelope. “And a little something extra for you tonight.”

I peeked inside and drew a quick breath in amazement. “Wow thanks Joe! Merry Christmas to you too” I said amazed at seeing the fifty dollar bill he had tucked inside!

I drove home through the heavy traffic getting there just before five. “Come on Nancy! Let’s go buy a tree!” I shouted as I ran up the stairs to show her my bonus. Five minutes later we bundled up and drove around the corner just in time where the owner was delighted to sell us a tree for five dollars, just before he closed.

p1010357.jpg Then we raced over to the Woolworth store a few blocks away, where for 10 cents each we bought some colored glass bulbs and a string of lights with tinsel. God hadn’t needed to send the wise men to Bethlehem with gifts to make it Christmas; but He did. That Christmas our wise man was named Joe and he left us a treasure that we still open every year.