Advent 1 - Your Favorite Gift

Day 1 - Your Favorite Gift
Romans 5:16-17

What’s one of your favorite Christmas gifts?

Maybe it’s a game, your first smartphone, or even a piece of jewelry! It’s hard to pick one, but every year as a kid I looked forward to new action figures. I especially loved getting Super Friends: Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern.

As an adult, I like giving more than getting. Jesus said, “It’s better to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35, NIV). But we should think more about the gifts we get! We should be grateful and make a habit of thanksgiving. Gratitude lifts our gaze to God, the true source of every good gift.

We think a lot about gifts during Advent, but most of all, we should think about those gifts from God. Advent is the worship season that gets us ready for Jesus - ready for his birth and ready for his return. Paul says in Romans 5 that the best gift from God is eternal life through Jesus Christ - being made right with God and a victory over sin and death. God’s gift of salvation is so rich! This Advent, we’re looking each week at one of God’s gifts for us.

We’ll do that by looking at how the four Gospel writers uniquely introduce Jesus. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all highlight different details about Jesus’s arrival on Earth. Their special angle on Jesus also helps us better appreciate God’s gifts offered to us through the Lord. We’ll look at Matthew’s Gospel this week. As Advent begins, try to slow the rush to Christmas and give thanks for God’s many gifts.

REFLECT
What is one of your favorite Christmas gifts received? What makes it so special?

PRAY
Faithful God, your promises stand unshaken through all generations. Renew us in hope, that we may be awake and alert watching for the glorious return of Jesus Christ, our judge and savior, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. AMEN.