It was the most perfect autumn day you could ask for. Sunday, October 8: Perfect blue sky with a temperature everyone can enjoy, and the first non-working Sunday for my sister in five years. She attended church with her daughter and son-in-law and their four children. The beautiful weather and wonderful worship service reminded me of our Sundays as children, when we would head home to lunch at our grandparent’s house after church. I thought to myself, “I wish we could do that for my sister’s grandchildren, all be together after church to eat and laugh and just enjoy God’s precious blessings.” We hadn’t made any plans other than a Sunday afternoon nap, but I did wonder if I couldn’t find a way to make that happen in the future.
When I pulled into our driveway, my niece’s vehicle was at our house. What a wonderful surprise! When I walked in, she and my sister were opening bread loaves and sandwich meat, preparing glasses for iced tea and punch, and setting the tables for all “our” kids. All three of my sister’s (local) grown children were there and all four grandchildren! We ate until we were full, we sang, we drank iced tea, we told jokes and stories on each other – it was exactly the Sunday I was dreaming of!
My prayers were answered before I considered them to be a sincere prayer. God had prepared a beautiful and precious day for us long before I had any idea that I really needed family time. What a gift from Him!
God answered our unknown prayers when He gave all humankind a gift in the birth of Jesus. It was Jesus’ love that changed the world. The coming of Jesus, this precious gift of God’s Son, is the purest evidence of God’s infinite love for us. My focus this Christmas will be to remember that God knows what we need a hundred thousand years before we can even guess what will make us fulfilled, what will make us happy, and what will help us change the world for the better. The knowledge that God has always loved us, and our acceptance that He will always keep us in His loving care, are what makes a wonderful life.
Sue Gibbons, Worship Team
