Christmas Devotion

Friday, January 2, 2026  

Today's Scripture
Galatians 4:4–7

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. (NRSV)

Reflection

Do you remember a favorite gift you received as a child and how it made you feel? I recall when I was six years old being given a small clip-on tie to wear at the college graduation of one of my brothers. Wearing it made me feel proud and a bit like an adult, even though I was both small in frame and in age. Howard Thurman said of his Morehouse education that the college “placed over our heads a crown that for the rest of our lives we would be trying to grow tall enough to wear. This was a gift far greater than the imparting of information and facts.”

Torah is also a gift. The 613 commandments of Torah are a vision, set through teaching and stories, of how a free people grow tall enough to wear the crown of blessing set before them. But in the days of the Apostle Paul, the Jewish people found themselves being oppressed by Roman power. As a result, Paul questioned what happened to the gift and its promise of liberation. Where had things gone wrong, and how might the gift’s promise be restored? Paul believed that a community formed in Christ Jesus would serve a redemptive purpose, repairing the breach between God’s vision and an oppressive social reality.

Gifts of this kind, whether they are bequeathed to little ones or whole peoples, provide a pathway into new possibilities. In this passage, Paul encourages us to accept these redemptive gifts as a child would who is capable of realizing great promise through their growth. Relatedly, a new year brings with it fresh opportunity to examine how we might live into our callings as redeemed and redeeming people.

But before we start thinking about how we are going to be and do better this year, let’s first acknowledge that God’s good gifts like Torah and Christ are sure signs of God’s faith in us. God gives not to buy our cooperation, shame us with guilt, or flaunt divine power, but because God is determined not to let anything in heaven or on earth keep us from flourishing.

Prayer

Redeemer God, we are grateful for your manifold gifts, calling us to a new way of life. Help us, who have faith in your steadfast love, to live and grow as those who know you also have great faith in us. Amen.

Written by Joseph L. Morrow, Associate Pastor

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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