A Thought For The Week Of January 4, 2016

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15) God's gift. We've just come through a time of year when it's natural for us to think about gifts. The funny thing about Christmas presents is that while we're thankful to have received them and thankful for those who have given them, the reality is that few if any of the Christmas gifts we receive are going to change our lives in any significant way. Some, even as grateful as we are to have received them, may even have disappointed us. Those ones weren't really what we wanted, we aren't going to use them, and likely we're going to put them away and not think about them much anymore. Such is the reality of Christmas gifts. But then there is the gift of God - the "indescribable gift" as the Bile calls it. What exactly is that? I suppose it could be looked at in many ways. First and foremost is seems reasonable to think of it as Jesus - not in the sentimental way that Jesus gets thought of at Christmas (as a baby in a manger) but as the Incarnate God who lowered himself out of love to live a human life. That's actually so indescribable that many people can't even begin to believe it! And there are other gifts from God - invariably connected to Jesus. Things like peace, joy, love and hope - the gifts we reflect on during Advent.We're thankful for God's forgiveness, which tells us not to be burdened by our past failures. We're thankful for God's grace, which assures us that we can never be separated from God. We're thankful for the Bible which offers us guidance. We're thankful for the Holy Spirit, who keeps us ever aware of God's presence. We're thankful for faith, which allows us to believe even in those moments when we're facing doubts. These are all gifts from God - all of which should move us to expressions of thankfulness. "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift." So many gifts, in fact, that the sheer volume makes it impossible to describe them adequately or to number them appropriately.