Accept the Savior – Unwrap the Gift
Glory to God for the precious gift of His Son Jesus! This past Sunday, we celebrated the birth of the ultimate gift, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the joy He brings to our world.
This Christmas, we continued the #Gifted series with the foundational text of Luke 2:9-12. The message began with a reminder to make room for Jesus. Pastor Denny encouraged us not to become so consumed with celebrating family, ourselves, and even our grief that we forget to remember our Lord. Additionally, he asked if we were willing to unwrap the gift that’s inside of us. He asked if we were willing to use the gifts God gave us even if they were not desirable. Furthermore, he told us that our gifts have been in the manger long enough. Our family needs them, and our church needs them.
Next, Pastor Denny called a volunteer up to unwrap a gift literally. First, she uncovered lots of wrapping paper. Our pastor said this illustrated that many of us get caught up on the wrapping that we don’t pay attention to the gift. Eventually, our volunteer reached a gift that had words on them. Pastor Denny said sometimes we just need a word from the Lord, but if we dig deeper, we find that God will give us a word before He releases a gift. When our volunteer dug deeper into the gift box, she discovered an even bigger blessing. And the blessings kept coming (you don’t want to miss the replay)! Some of the key takeaways from the illustration were:
- Every gift isn’t what you want, but it’s what you need.
- The only thing separating you from those who receive the gift is a move.
- The only cost to the gift is acceptance.
Alluding to the infirmed man at the pool of Bethesda, Pastor Denny shared that waiting for a “how” will keep us at a pool for 38 years; however, when we move, we will get breakthrough. Disciples, may we no longer wait for the gifts to be stirred but ask God for the boldness to walk in them for the glory of His Son.