The Giver Wins Again

Mother's Day is coming up. Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and all are reasons to
give someone a gift (and those of us who are never sure what to give, go into panic mode at this point but that's another issue). In a worship service, we collect gifts from the people to give God. But where did it all start? With God, of course (you knew I would get there sooner or later, didn't you?).

All over the Bible, we see how God provides for his children. Right from the Garden, we see God giving his kids a great place to live, and when they mess that up and have to live in the wilderness instead, he still gives them clothing (and probably teaches them a few survival skills to boot). He promises Abraham blessings beyond his imagination, and keeps his promises even in the midst of Abraham's long struggle to learn what following God looks like. Our Creator has given each of us a personality and abilities that are unique among all humans, and he takes a lot of joy in knowing you and me personally. And of course, in Jesus Christ, God has one-sidedly given us life, peace, and blessings too great to measure and too many to count.

Reading the Bible through the lens of God's gifts to us results in one thing: gratitude to the point of awe. If you were to make a list, or start counting all the blessings you've received, how many pages would you need? And if you give to God, how much is enough? Those are good questions to reflect on once in awhile.

And as we come up to Pentecost (May 19) we get to look at another enormous, gracious gift of God: the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives us all a unique mix of gifts that, of course, come from God since the Holy Spirit is God. Let's look at some of those next time, maybe for quite awhile.