Sermonette for February 5, 2018

I will never forget when our gracious Heavenly Father blessed my wife and I with our firstborn, a blue-eyed little girl. Even though I am alergic to apples, my little girl was the apple, and still is, the apple of my eye. It was during seminary that my daughter was born, and we had just been asked to pastor my first church.

Besides the excitement we had over our first born, the members of this loving and compassionate church, were excited to have a baby in their congregation. She was the only one and was dearly cared for by all.

On Christmas Eve, my wife Paula asked the kids to come up for children time as she always did during the worship services. At this particular service, she chose to bring a teddy bear that someone in the congregation had given to our baby as a Christmas present. As my wife shared during the children's time, I noticed one little girl in particular was looking somewhat sad and almost to tears.

When we drove home that night, I asked my wife if she knew why the little girl looked so down and out. With tears forming in her eyes, she shared that this little girl had asked her mommy if they could give Jessica a Christmas present like everyone else was going to. Her mommy had to tell her no, because they didn't have the money to do so. So the little girl went to her bedroom and came out with her favorite stuffed animal.

She told her mommy to take the stuffing out of it to make Jessica a teddy bear so they could give her a gift like everyone else. Her mommy asked her over and over again if she really wanted to do this. It was her favorite stuffed toy. She had played with it ever since she was a little girl and slept with it every night. But still, she asked her mommy to take it and make the teddy bear. Her mommy did.

The teddy bear my wife had used for the children's story had been the one that contained the stuffing from that little girl's toy. That's why she looked so sad. My wife and I were very, very touched upon hearing the story of the sacrifice that little girl had made so Jessica would have her first teddy bear. That toy had been near and dear to that precious little girl, yet she gave it away to bring joy to our newborn little girl.

As we continued to drive home that blustery cold winter's night, I began to think about the sacrifice that our Heavenly Father made. It was someone who was near and dear to Him. Someone who brought Him joy and whom He loved passionately. It was His only Son. Jesus Christ.

At the end of Acts, chapter 20, verse 35, we read, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." We never deserved this gracious and ever loving gift from our Heavenly Father through His Son Jesus Christ.

Our Heavenly Father really had nothing to gain for Himself in giving His Son to the human race. But look at what we gain when we accept His Son as our personal Lord and Savior. Forgiveness of our sins, a new life in Jesus Christ, a loving and concerned companion for the rest of our life and, yes, the promise of eternal life in heaven.

What a compassionate and loving Heavenly Father we worship and adore. And what a friend we have in Jesus! I truly hope He is yours. Ask Him to be if you haven't already. See folks, He is always, and will always be, just a prayer away! Amen.