Weekly Worship 12/27/20

Call to Worship: Devotional (By Pastor Dan Loch)

^{20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in relation to righteousness. 21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.}

Romans 6:20-23 (NASB)

Do you love gifts as much as I do? What was your favorite Christmas gift this year? Maybe it was a new phone, a blanket knit by hand with love and care, or perhaps you got to spend time with someone you love. These are all wonderful things that are only enhanced when we see that the act of gift giving points us back to Christ. Every gift given is a sacrifice made with no expectation of repayment. If you were expected to give a gift of equal or greater value in return then that would be a blind bartering system. No, gifts must be freely given and the gift of Jesus Christ is no exception. There is nothing we can give that could ever match the value of God’s only Son. The only way to accept this perfect gift is by faith, trusting that God will give eternal life to all who believe.

So what was your favorite gift this Christmas season? Enjoy the presents you received and cherish your friends and family but do not fix your joy in them. Instead, let the things of this fading world point you to the imperishable. Anchor your hope in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, forever and ever. Amen.