What comes to mind when we think of a gift? There are gifts of the Spirit, birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, gift exchanges, and all sorts of gifts. These gifts are all great things. We ought not to despise earthly gifts. But these earthly gifts only make sense as we remember the gift of worship. Worship is a series of gifts God gives His children. In worship, we receive the gift of confession, the gift of forgiveness, the gift of adoration, the gift of praise, the gift of communion with one another, and the gift of bread and wine. All these gifts are ours in Christ Jesus.
And He welcomes us to come together to receive heavenly gifts. It is imperative that we receive these gifts, because as we receive we offer our response of thanks. Those who abandon worship, those who treat it as secondary to life, those who minimize its divine importance in the shaping of man and civilization miss these gifts, and are therefore not grateful. To whom much is given much is required. God has given us much. Worship is the people’s response to God’s good gifts.
Let us gather to offer our thanks to the God who calls us to shower us with His good gifts.
Prayer: O Blessed Lord, you have gathered us today to receive you many gifts. May our hearts be open to receive, our mouths ready to sing your praises, and lives prepared to serve you. Be a very present help to us. Encourage us and gift us with your holy presence, for we pray this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
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