Regifting
The Gift of Identity
January 5, 2020 • Mike Weaver
Now that the season of giving Christmas gifts is over, we could say that we are in the season of regifting as we consider what Christmas gifts we will regift to others. Regifting can describe what we do with the gifts that God has given us as we share with others the great gifts God has given us. The priceless difference is that God’s gifts are unlimited and therefore we can keep these gifts that we surely desire and also give these gifts to others. We are in the season of Epiphany, or more precisely the Sundays after the Epiphany. The account of the Wisemen bringing gifts to baby Jesus is called The Epiphany and is the seminal story this season. Using the account of the Wisemen as an inspiration, this series will explore five priceless gifts that God has given us and that we can regift to others, especially those in the next generation.
The Gift of True Belonging
January 12, 2020 • Steve Brown
We fully experience God’s gift of true belonging when we regift it to others by truly and fully welcoming others into our group, just as they are. Next Step: Trust that through Jesus you truly and fully belong to God’s eternal family, just as you are. Accept it. Is there someone that you sense God nudging you to regift God’s true belonging to them. Begin to do it.
The Gift of Unity
January 26, 2020 • Mike Weaver
“Many people in America today would say that divisiveness is one of the most dangerous issues in our common life, that factionalism and misguided allegiance keep us from being able to address the very serious challenges that confront us today: increasing disparity between rich and poor, climate change, global violence, competition for natural resources, migration due to war and famine. And of course, each of these issues has its local manifestation: * Isolation of people in homogeneous neighborhoods; * Fear of strangers, of other races and nationalities, refugees, the homeless—or the despair of being the stranger, the refugee, or without a home; * Addiction, mental illness, trauma; * A lack of individual commitment to the well-being of an entire town or city; * A sense of powerlessness when it comes to self-regulating the use of fossil fuels, water, food.” ~Jane Lancaster Patterson Paul is not necessarily emphasizing uniformity, completely, but a unity of thought and opinion about the Gospel. What’s at stake is the mission of the local church. Paul asks rhetorically, “Is Christ divided?” If Christ had been divided internally about his mission as the Messiah, the witness would have been compromised. Christ’s unity within himself birthed the church for future generations. We stand united in Christ and thus pass on to future generations a healthy and vibrant church. Next Step: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3-6)
Sacred Stewardship
February 2, 2020 • Steve Brown
Your life is a sacred stewardship. Regift sacred stewardship to the next generation. If that means you have to understand and practice sacred stewardship first, do it. Be motivated by the likely life disasters if we do not learn and then teach sacred stewardship. Learn and teach God’s understanding of sacred stewardship. Learn and then teach that managing our money is a tool for making our values and priorities line up with God’s will. Begin with the simple understanding of what it means to Give, Save, and Spend in that order. Learn and teach to be guided by God in your money decisions. Next Step: Pick the one next step from today’ message that you sense God is nudging you to take and take it