It was wonderful to see you all last week at my home.  I hope you are having a good week and that you have a very Merry Christmas.

This  past week we received the sad news that my father-in-law passed away.  Funeral services were this weekend in Memphis .  It was a sad time, and yet the family certainly felt lifted up through the prayers and support of friends.  His death just before Christmas serves as a reminder of the brevity of life.  We are mortal.  We are also fleshly , and everyone of us needs a savior.

At Christmas we focus on the baby Jesus, but let’s also center our focus on the fact that Jesus came to this earth as a gift to mankind.  We are poor and needy, maybe not physically or financially, but we are all poor and needy spiritually. Because of our debt of sin, God lovingly sent a savior to the world.  Yes, our debt was paid by Christ’s blood on the cross, and He lovingly invites us to believe in Him and be saved. 

Let’s take some time to stop, take a deep breath and reflect on what is really important during this season.  Thank the Lord for sending his Son to this world as payment for our sin.  Death not only reminds us of our need for a savior, but it also reminds us of how important it is to actively love the people around us.  We do not know how much longer we have on this earth.  Loving God and loving others should be on the top of our list of things to give at Christmas and all year through. 

I’m reminded of I Corinthians 13:

“ ¹If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

The passage goes on to describe a Christlike love:

“⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres”

So let’s generously give the gift of love! May we reflect His love as we offer our gifts to others this Christmas.