“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” – Jesus: Luke 6:38

I have much to share with you this morning – yet so little time because we are getting ready to travel. So I’m going to, for now, boil this down to two very special moments that both say essentially the same thing.

First, at men’s Bible study this morning. Wow! I don’t know where to begin other than gratitude. These men, these open-hearted, receptive, thoughtful, humble children of God who show up every week because they want to continue to grow in their faith and because they want to encourage one another… well, today they showed up for me.

The abbreviated version is that they got together and decided to sponsor this blog. “The ministry of your blog” is how one man put it. I was dumbfounded. It costs a certain amount of money to keep this blog ad-free and I have always done this for you, the readers. Well the next two years, 2025 and 2026, we can say, “This blog is brought to you ad-free thanks to our sponsor, the men’s Bible study at Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church.” Now I feel like PBS!

They included a gift-card to On the Square, hands down the best restaurant in the region. But it is their spot-on thoughtfulness, and especially the sponsorship, that touches my heart.

Pitch-Perfect

Then, in terms of more pitch-perfect thoughtfulness, two gifts we received while at dinner with dear friends Monday evening.

First, from our hosts Faye and Jerry, not only the gift of the evening together but our own “We all need a little Jesus.” Stay tuned for what Jesus gets up to in Poland over Christmas.

Then, and I don’t know the last time we have smiled so genuinely at a simple gift, a “The Mauls” address stamp from the Brittains featuring the upcoming St. Patrick Street home.

They could not have found a better gift! They could have imported something elaborate and expensive from the other side of the world and it would not could not have been so exactly right.

So our hearts are touched, so deeply, but the genuineness of our friends and by the sweet spirit that echoes the words of the song, “There’s a sweet, sweet spirit in this place, and I know that it’s the spirit of the Lord. There are sweet expressions on each face, and I know that it’s the presence of the Lord…”

At Bible study this morning I shared the song “Joseph’s Lullaby” by Mercy Me. As a room full of fathers I think we all felt a little more clearly the emotions surrounding the profoundly vulnerable entry of Jesus into this world.

May the meaning of Christmas become ever more clear as we approach the day. Peace and blessings, love and grace – DEREK