Skip to main content

The Inexpressible Gift

The one verse of Scripture that almost every person - believer or non-believer - knows is John 3:16:  “for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten (i.e. one and only) son…”  It is a theme repeated throughout the Bible that God is Love.  While we love that God loves we sometimes forget that His love for us came with a terrible price - the death of His son.


Love… a much-used word for many things and in many settings.  I love my spouse, and I love football…I love food, and I love God… I love God’s word, and I love fishing.  We use that word in so many different ways that it needs a context to be attached to it to have meaning.


Paul, writing to the Corinthians said something about God’s love without using the word love:

2 Corinthians 9:15 - “thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift”.


Did you ever get an inexpressible gift?  It’s a gift that leaves you speechless and in awe.  It means we have no words to attach to the gift that would do justice to what the gift means.


An Inexpressible gift is like a groom standing up front in the church as his bride begins to walk down the aisle.

An Inexpressible gift is watching your child being born and holding them for the first time.

We can count the number of those kinds of gifts on one hand.  


Question:  What were the gifts you received last Christmas?  Remember? 

For many, and it is many, there is no remembering…unless it is something like the tshirt a relative of mine gave me with writing on the front that I never wore.  

For the most part, there are seldom any gifts that arise to the level of what is inexpressible.


What we do remember is those gifts that don’t necessarily lie under a tree, but come from love, generosity, and an overflowing heart of affection…gifts that are inexpressible and inspire awe.  Sometimes those gifts come without our knowing they were coming…they happen.  They come because the author of the gift is not trying to amaze us, but to give because they love, and they give out of that love.


God’s gifts to us are numerous…new every morning, the Psalmist says.  Gifts that come from an overflowing heart of love…not from duty as in “I had to”...but from the generosity of the divine initiative of God’s being.  


I wish I could be more like that. 

So, let’s ask ourselves, what is it that motivates our giving gifts?  What causes us to look for THAT gift…why?

I hope the answer is LOVE…because that is what God did for us.

We worship Jesus, and the reason is simple - God sent his son as a gift and speaks in Advent - “I did it for you”.


Comments

Andrew said…
Another good musing, Elliott
December 23, 2022 at 3:52 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hands Full of Parcels

"A Man whose hands are full of parcels can't receive a gift."   - C. S. Lewis Romans 4:13-16 (ESV) 13  For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14  For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15  For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16  That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all... The last four days have been best described by the word "fatigue".  It's not an uncommon word in our vocabulary.  Listless, tired, sore.  1300 miles of car travel, being sick, not sleeping well, and eating poorly all add up to the word - fatigue.   Someone onc...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Tabernacle

The readings today are Exodus 36, 37, 38 I wanted to post some pictures of what these various parts of the Tabernacle looked like. It's not the easiest read in the world, but if you persevere through it, you can get a picture of all the different pieces that made up the tabernacle. It is a replica of the various parts of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness: First thing in the chapter listed is the outside of the tabernacle which consisted of curtains tied together and put on cross bars through loops. Next at the beginning of 37 is the table and lampstand: Also, the altar of incense: And, the altar for the burnt offering which was in the courtyard: Finally, the courtyard which made it all come together: Hope that helps with what it might have all looked like. Most importantly, this was their "place" of worship they were building. I hope you have a great day of worship. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
1 comment
Read more

The difference between defending and explaining

The news of recent has focused the suffering of Christians in the middle east who have been martyred for their faith in Christ at the hands of Islamic Terrorists. Through the centuries many Christians have lost their lives as a result of their faith. For us, who live in America, there is little chance that we would have this happen here - but it's entirely possibly that terrorism will strike out at Christians sometime.  But, for many Christians in the western world - especially here in the U.S. - being a Christians who believes God's word there is a form of persecution that is defined by words like "ostracized", "passed over", "ridiculed", and more. What do we do in the face of opposition to faith? When the Apostle Peter writes to the early believers who are undergoing great pressure, even persecution for their faith in Jesus, he gives them this charge. 1 Peter 3:8-18 8  Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly lov...
1 comment
Read more