The Gift.

The Musical was a gift from the kids to you. I trust you enjoyed this morning as much as I have.
Have you ever been the guest of honor when you did nothing to deserve the honor? It is an embarrassing moment.
Elko July 1997: poor, far away from home
Christmas was coming vacation was planned could we make it?
No money for gifts, maybe we could afford the gas down and back and possibly we could afford to eat out once or twice, but it was going to be a tight Christmas.

Nampa 1st church phone call and plans: Dec 5th be there Dec. 4th in the morning please. Also please fill out a questionnaire that tells us about you and what you like.

Struggle with the idea of driving the church van: gas $50 to fill up in elko, in nampa, in elko when we returned. This was when we were trying to figure out how to make it home?

Arrival in nampa with little expectancy and many fears.
First visitor a man who took me to a suit shop in town to be fitted for a suit, then that afternoon a lady came by with a card from her sister who lives in dallas but heard about the day, inside a check for 1k.

That night we arrive at the church, entire stage filled with gifts, 3 eight foot tables filled with food and money tree filled with money. Is there someone else here with us? No this is all for you! JJ open gifts from dec 6th to the 20th everyday and still had gifts left over. Food from food pounding lasted three years. They also gave us a gift of Christmas all year round in which they sent us $250 a month for the year. After we got home there was another card from a doctor in the church who did not want the people to know how much he gave and it included a check for 1k as well. When it was all said and done they gave us over 10k worth of presents, cash and food.
No one in the church knew us. We had not done anything to warrant such an amazing offer. They did it simply because they loved God, and loved people. It was an amazing night, a humbling night. To be the guest of honor and recipient of such amazing love when you have done nothing for it is awesome. How do you ever respond to it? Saying thank you isn’t enough, I’ll never be their pastor to thank them that way, so what do you do? You receive the gifts with complete gratitude, enjoy the gifts and use them to the max.
As amazing a night as that was it pales in comparison to the night of Christmas. When Jesus was given to people who didn’t deserve the gift, but God gave anyway.
John 3:16-18
What do you do with a gift like this? You receive it with complete gratitude enjoy the offer of God and go for it to the max!
God offers us through Jesus a gift far greater than 10k worth of stuff that is now mostly gone. He offers us life that never ends. I wonder if being the guest of honor when you don’t deserve it has kept you from receiving the gift. Or maybe it is the incredible sense of obligation you feel you will incur at the reception of the gift. It is worth it, why not this Christmas enjoy Christmas the way it is meant to be enjoyed?