December 23
“The Gift of Jesus,” by David Pettyjohn
Read: Luke 1:68-80
(Luke 1: 65-66. A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else. Everyone who heard about it took it to heart, wondering, “What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his hand in this.) What a wondrous gift God has given mankind. Yet the celebration of this gift is so often misguided. We were in Thailand shortly after Christmas and there were Christmas decorations and greetings ever where. Yet, Thailand is only 3% Christian. Were these truly the vestments of thankful followers of Christ’s teachings? I don’t think so. It seems that just as they are here, they best serve the bottom line of the merchants. We have so many in need here that we are duty bound to share our blessings. Personally, I contribute time to Clothe-A-Child and have set an allotment to 14th and Chestnut. But these are only tokens of sharing. Real sharing occurs every day in our interactions with those we meet. May each of us share our Christmas with those we meet all throughout the year. We are Christ disciples and we are known by the way we love each other as He loved us.
Prayer: Dear God, as we celebrate your gift to us of Jesus Christ this season, let us remember that it is our responsibility to share our blessings with those we meet each day of the year. Blessed be your name. Amen.
Thought for the Day
Blessings shared will be multiplied. Blessings kept are lost.
