When the Wise men visited Jesus they brought gifts worth giving: Gold, frankincense and myrrh. As cool as those gifts were, they aren’t nearly as important as the individuals themselves. Each of us have value way beyond what we do. Exceeding things we give. Just you being you. Whoa! What a gift! You are the gift worth giving! We can learn a lot from the wise men who knew Jesus was the King! Let’s give gifts like the wise men today. Would you help me give away some real frankincense and myrrh this morning? Great. Here, take some for yourselves and meet me as people are sent out today! Thank you for being amazing gifts!
In the United States, a nation of immigrants, still swell with people from other countries, many fleeing persecution, fear, and poverty. Even in Cape May County we meet them in shops and restaurants, and welcome them to our communities and neighborhoods. Most of our families have immigrant stories, and our cemetery represents amazing immigrant stories of international travelers who came to the “new world” in search of freedom and to work and worship as they chose. This week, Pastor Kevin’s message continues the story of Jesus on the move as an infant from Matthew 2:13-23. Jesus was born in a borrowed Bethlehem barn in Asia and became an African refugee in Egypt, so the Christmas story is about an international migrant. Furthermore, a whole village full of baby boys died for Jesus before he had the opportunity to die for them on the cross. Surely this Jesus understands the pain of children who suffer and die for the sins of adults in our our communities. This week’s Gospel resonates loudly for our times and will equip and inspire us to participate in the transforming inbreaking of the divine that comes with the birth of Christ, Emmanuel, God with us. Joy to your world can be realized for you and our entire community because if Jesus is not for everyone, he’s not for anyone. Jesus is for all of us!
Safety tips for kids and parents! Listen to Pastor Kevin’s conversations with the kids as he shares safety tips as digital citizens!
Handout- Tips for Kids and Parents as Digital Citizens
The National Retail Federation estimated the value of returned holiday gifts at up to $95 billion. Wow! That’s a lot of returns! You’d think that if we knew each other better, we’d give gifts that the recipient would really want!
What a gift worth to the giver may be different than the value of the gift to the recipient. In a classroom in New York, a room full of kids were given candy treats for free, distributed randomly. Then they asked the kids how they felt about their free gift. The results were not promising. But when they were asked to do some clever exchanges, the value increased because each kid got more of what they would really enjoy, what they valued.
God gave a gift and you can return it, sure. But God knows you more than you know yourself, and whats more, God loves you, just the way you are. Right now!
What is the gift of a living, present, Savior, Jesus, worth to you?
Loving us and sending Jesus to live in our midst show us love in action, to take upon himself our sins and our failures but also our hopes and dreams, and then with him, to rise to new life. Sending Jesus was God’s way of loving us and showing us how to love like Jesus. To receive Jesus. To follow Jesus. To be like Jesus. God shows us how to love.
That was God’s way of making the world not just better but redeemed, transformed, different.
That was God’s way of bringing joy to your world. What is yours?
Are you ready for Christmas? Tell me how you have been showing acts of kindness, giving gifts to others! Great. At the manger we add Jesus to the scene as we recall that Jesus was born as a gift to us! You are a gift to us, too! God loves you just the way you are and because we follow Jesus, (who is no longer a baby!) we can share his love with others every day. Merry Christmas!