Advent: A Time of Both Giving and Receiving

Friday, December 18, 2015 

            One week from today is Christmas!  Advent is a time of both giving and receiving: Giving and receiving from one another.  Giving and receiving from God.  We know how good it makes us feel to do both.  We put much thought into finding just the right gift to give those we love, and we feel so very special to receive a gift from someone who knows us well enough that when we open it, our hearts are warmed and maybe even tears come to our eyes.

            God is just like that, too.  From before the beginning of time, God knew that we needed the ultimate gift: The Gift of a Savior.  God knew, too, what form that Gift would be in:  Not in a President who could end the work of ISIS.  Not in a steadily growing economy.  Not in some mythic yellow brick road that would lead to an Emerald City, grand for sure, but with its false sense of security.  No, God knew we needed a Baby, a Baby whom we would know as Jesus – the ultimate gift of Love, Joy, and Peace to our hearts and to the world.  That Baby would grow up and teach us who God really is, and also who we really are: Beloved Children of the Almighty!

            There is no better gift that God could give us during this Christmas season.  And there is no better gift that we can give to one another but to rest in the arms of the Almighty and to reach out to one another in God’s Love, Joy, and Peace.