Advent, 2nd Sunday. Here comes your God with power -- to scoop you up in his strong arms! We should repent so we are ready for His coming. What do we have to repent from? Our love of money and things. People are more important than things. We should love people and use things, but we get it backwards. More to the point, we trust money to provide us with power, security, and even our sense of self-worth. We love God but we trust money.

We pass the basket in church because the Good News tells us we don't need a tight grip on our things. We can trust God and let go of money. There's another reason too. It wouldn't be a real friendship if we always received but never gave. Yet in our relationship with God, we expect Him to give. We need to give too. God wants us to offer our lives to Him. We place our joys and struggles on the altar as a gift of love. God blesses them and makes them so much more. Our true security does not come from what we have but from who we are: beloved sheep in the arms of our mighty and gentle shepherd.

(7 Dec 2014)

Point to Ponder:

Point to Discuss: What does it mean to "give generously" when it comes to the Sunday offering?

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