I recently held services at a church where most of the folks knew us from prior ministry. These folks had become like a second family and one of them – Smitty – had been cooking up a scheme. On Sunday morning, after a weekend of services, I was presented a special card (made out of cardboard) and a present taped together with wrapping paper and duct tape. It even had a bow made out of duct tape!
Once I had the box open I discovered a new bag of marbles and a modified hack saw that had “Warning. Aggie Chainsaw. Professional Use Only” handwritten on the side. Smitty said that he knew I was an Aggie, since I had attended Texas A&M University, and felt I might need a special chainsaw just for woodcutting this time of year. He also said that he wanted to ensure that no one could say that I had lost my marbles! We all got a laugh out of the gift and I have those marbles and chainsaw proudly displayed on my shelf today. As you can probably imagine, it was pretty hilarious! But at the same time, it was heartwarming to feel the love that those people had for our family.
That’s one of the most wonderful aspects of the Christian faith – the feeling of being a part of such a warm and welcoming extended family. Yes, there are some people that cause us to pause and wonder, but in large part God’s children really try to reflect his virtues. It’s a worldwide family with a heavenly father who loves his children so much that he made a way to have a right relationship with Him even when there was no way that mankind could do it alone (John 3:16). God knew from the foundations of the world that we would need help—that’s why he sent a savior—His son, Jesus Christ.
Matthew 1:23 tells us, “‘Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” I pray this holiday season finds you reflecting on how special that relationship is and allowing Jesus Christ to have His rightful place in your life if that relationship isn’t what it should be today. You never know, you just might end up with some new marbles and an Aggie chainsaw yourself<G>.
For Him,
Marshall
