The Greatest Gift
Robert Dawson
John 3:16
I think that most people here enjoy Christmas. I also think most would tell you that Christmas can be very stressful. There is a lot of work that goes into this holiday, at least the way most people I know do it. You've got decorations, our schedules get busier and all the get-togethers, many of which were altered this year, which was stress in itself.
Then, you have presented. I can't speak for you but, for me, the presents can be the most stressful part of Christmas. They also seem to be the biggest part of Christmas. It's not just because of the shopping, crowds, or concerns Amazon might not ship on time. (How many of you are still waiting on presents to arrive? We had to wrap pictures and say, ''It's in the mail!'') Another stress may be financial. You can put yourself in a financial hole in a hurry if you're not careful.
Beyond all that, it's stressful finding the right gift.
- How many of you will agonize over which present to purchase?
- Some people are hard to buy for.
- Sometimes, we just don't have the financial ability to give what we'd like to give.
- Some people are just lousy gift givers. (Have you got one of those in your family? Are you married to one? Don't answer. Especially this weekend).
In keeping with what happened in many of our homes this weekend, I want us to focus on this idea of giving and gifts and as we do, let's think about the motive and the measure of true giving.
To accomplish this, we could look at a number of stories in the Bible.
- Good Samaritan. What a great story of generosity and compassion.
- Widow who gave all she had, or the widow show shared their last of what she had with the prophet Elijah. What great examples of how our giving is not always measured by how much we give but what we keep.
- Macedonians grace giving, giving that exceeded their ability, that was extoled by Paul in 2 Corinthians.
- Barnabas who gave so generously in the book of Acts.
...
Robert Dawson
John 3:16
I think that most people here enjoy Christmas. I also think most would tell you that Christmas can be very stressful. There is a lot of work that goes into this holiday, at least the way most people I know do it. You've got decorations, our schedules get busier and all the get-togethers, many of which were altered this year, which was stress in itself.
Then, you have presented. I can't speak for you but, for me, the presents can be the most stressful part of Christmas. They also seem to be the biggest part of Christmas. It's not just because of the shopping, crowds, or concerns Amazon might not ship on time. (How many of you are still waiting on presents to arrive? We had to wrap pictures and say, ''It's in the mail!'') Another stress may be financial. You can put yourself in a financial hole in a hurry if you're not careful.
Beyond all that, it's stressful finding the right gift.
- How many of you will agonize over which present to purchase?
- Some people are hard to buy for.
- Sometimes, we just don't have the financial ability to give what we'd like to give.
- Some people are just lousy gift givers. (Have you got one of those in your family? Are you married to one? Don't answer. Especially this weekend).
In keeping with what happened in many of our homes this weekend, I want us to focus on this idea of giving and gifts and as we do, let's think about the motive and the measure of true giving.
To accomplish this, we could look at a number of stories in the Bible.
- Good Samaritan. What a great story of generosity and compassion.
- Widow who gave all she had, or the widow show shared their last of what she had with the prophet Elijah. What great examples of how our giving is not always measured by how much we give but what we keep.
- Macedonians grace giving, giving that exceeded their ability, that was extoled by Paul in 2 Corinthians.
- Barnabas who gave so generously in the book of Acts.
...
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