TranscriptGod is Generous

Last night, Pastor Michael gave a great talk on preparing for Christmas. He was battling chills and nausea the whole time. He went home and went to bed. Unfortunately, he started throwing up in the middle of the night; so instead of being here to speak, Michael is home in bed—sick. Even worse, Michael should be celebrating—on Tuesday, he finished his master’s degree in ministerial leadership. Instead of celebrating, he’s puking.

So at six this morning, the skipper signaled the bullpen and brought in a reliever—me. It’s the week the before Christmas, so I decided to talk to you about the generosity of God. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

That’s what we’re celebrating at Christmas: God is generous. God has given His Son for us. All our gift giving is a celebration of His great gift to us.

ILL: Len Sullivan was a church planter in northern Saskatchewan, and like most church planters, money was tight. He writes:

We were down to only a few dollars in the bank. Our usual reaction to that need was to look for our own solution. This time, however, in a stroke of faith, I told God that we needed eggs, bread, and milk. I would wait upon him.

That afternoon, a man came to my little fix-it shop with a leaky teakettle. He said, “I know I could get another, but it’s my favorite kettle. Please fix it.” In a matter of minutes the job was done, and I didn’t even charge him for it. But he pulled out a $10 bill and insisted that I take it—just enough to buy a gallon of milk, a dozen eggs, and a loaf of bread.

As he left, with a bit of pride