How many of you like to go shopping for gifts for people? We shop for presents for so many reasons. Per-haps someone gave us a gift and now we feel obligated to give one back. We buy gifts for baby and wedding show-ers. A few months ago we all were desperately searching for the right Christmas gifts. Soon some of us will be searching for the perfect gift for our Valentine. 

Shh, don’t tell Janet, but I already bought her Valentine’s gift. You might think, “Wow, Pastor David is on top of things.” But the truth is, I’m not a great gift giver. I usually need suggestions for gifts. I always ask for a few or more because I still want my love to be surprised. But I confess buying or making the right gift isn’t easy for me. 

In his book, The Five Love Languages, author Gary Chapman identifies five different ways to express love; acts of service, quality time, words of affirmation, physical touch and gift giving. Unfortunately for Janet, gift giving is not my primary love language. 

Giving gifts is an expression of our love and our appreciation of the one we love and what they mean to us. Just think: If we give gifts to show our love, how much more would God, who is the epitome of love give us. Jesus once said, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” 

Max Lucado writes in his book, He Chose the Nails, “God’s gifts shed light on God’s heart, good and gener-ous heart.” Every gift reveals God’s love, but no gift reveals God’s love more than the gifts of the love of the cross. 

As we enter into the season of Lent this February, we enter a season of reflecting on God’s love for us through the gifts of the passion. When we think of Jesus’ passion we think of the gift of the cross. But the cross wasn’t the only gift that Jesus gave in the passion. The cross would have been enough, but Jesus gave us many more gifts along the road to the cross. 

During Lent you are invited to travel along the Via Della Rosa and encounter these gifts. I encourage you to extend invitations to friends, neighbors, and family members to attend this sermon series so they can encounter the good news of God’s love and God’s gifts for them. 

C-you in church if not before, 

Pastor David