GRACE, PEACE AND HOPE...gifts that last

Someone walked into our home last night and looked bewilderedly at our tree. There are no gifts under our tree. They did not ask "why?" but I sensed they thought it strange. Maybe we are strange.

. 1. We told our family--no gifts for us. If you want to remember us, make a donation to "Dale's Fund for Haiti"--a fund to support pastors and teachers there.

 2. We don't need ANYTHING. Additionally, we may be moving in the years ahead and we have already accumulated more stuff than we care to move.

 3. For us, a Christmas card with a personal message is as valuable as anything we receive. It is nice to be remembered by our friends and family this way.

 One of our favorite Christmas activities is to sit on the couch and reread all of the Christmas cards and messages we receive. Most importantly, we are in receipt of the greatest gifts we can receive this side of heaven. I have had the privilege of teaching about those the last three weeks at Grace where I have the joy of teaching and preaching.

Grace, as revealed in John 1:14-18, is the gift revealed in the Incarnation of Jesus--God in the flesh--"full of grace and truth". What a blessing to know that because Jesus came to earth as a man--bearing our sins on the cross and paying the price for them, thus providing access to the Father--I now have forgiveness and am a child of God. That truly is a miracle of grace!

Peace is the result of Christ's work as well. Because He was the sacrifice for our sins, and because we stand by grace in His finished work in our behalf, we now have peace with God. Romans 5:1-11 details how that peace, the gift of God in Christ, allows us to live without the emptiness and hopelessness of our own pursuits.

Hope, then, is ours through the "encouragement of the Scriptures", the Word of God. In Romans 15:1-13, Paul concludes by saying, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

I've received lots of cookies and candy--thanks to all our gourmet cooks at Grace. Other tokens of love and appreciation have been graciously extended to us. Soon enough the cookies and candy will be gone, and the festive Christmas tree in our living room brimming with colorful ornaments and bright lights will be packed away. What remains will be memories of a wonderful Christmas season to be sure--and the enduring matchless gifts of grace, peace and hope in Christ.