Deals, Deals, and More Deals

The holidays are here. The time has arrived to celebrate with friends and family. We spend time gathering together around a beautifully set fall table. The family table is decorated with festive colors of brown, orange, and yellows. The centerpiece, a perfectly cooked turkey, surrounded by all the delicious side dishes that have attracted our senses from the moment the flame was put to the stovetop. Mmmmmm!

A couple hours later, after feasting and giving thanks, we begin to relax and reflect on the wonder that is Thanksgiving. But wait. It's not over. There are dishes to be washed, food to be covered, and football to be watched. What do I spy on the family table now taking center attention? It's a rumpled stack of store ads from the newsstand - Deals, deals, and more deals.

The stores call it Black Friday. Although the term "Black Friday" has been associated with several accounts in history, modern day retail maintains this day as a day to enhance the year's revenue as the first official shopping day for Christmas. Parking structures fill up and stores are over packed with shoppers looking to score great deals on discounted merchandise.

It all sounds like a great adventure for some and a bit of a challenge for others. However, I have preferred to stay at home and reflect on the greatest deal I have ever gotten, a free gift that didn't require jumping through hoops and struggling through the chaotic aisles of the stores.

Because of Christ's righteousness, the offer of His life freely given for my sin and sorrow, I now live in hope eternal. I believe I scored the greatest deal.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV)

Pastor Rob King