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Kev. iVlerlin Shorb Pastor of Rappahannock Methodist Charge
Flint Hill, Sperryville and Willis Chapel
A Christmas Gift
A gift is a "voluntary transfer," something we did nothing to earn, often coming as a complete surprise. A gift is a brief reprieve from a world of earnings and merits, a fresh breath of air when the heat is on. A true gift is given with no thought of returns, with no strings attached. This might sound a little ideal. But in a real sense a gift is the ideal human gesture. It could also be argued that when that ideal is compromised, what we have no longer qualifies as a gift; a bribe perhaps, but not a gift.
Since we can give nothing that could enrich God, all God's benefits come to us as free gifts. The good health and optimum environment we thrive on are gifts that make life itself possible. These are expressions of God's loving acceptance of human creatures. It is never appropriate to appease or bribe someone who already loves us. God's love is already there, permeating our entire history. All God asks of us is gratitude. Our
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