A Bridge between Thanksgiving and Christmas

Don Harrelson

Second Corinthians 9:15 says, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”

This verse is the perfect verse to bridge Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Although the context of this verse is to appeal to the Corinthians to give a monetary offering; Paul is urging them to give and reminding them that they cannot out give God.

Do you often stop and ponder what God has given you? Paul says that it is a gift that is unspeakable or indescribable. In other words, there are no words to truly express the gratitude of the gift that God has given us.

Now just what is that gift that God has given us? It is His Son – Jesus Christ.

In one sense, God buried His son and reaped a vast harvest of those that put their faith in the resurrected Christ. Jesus is the divine gift that inspires all gifts — the gift of God’s own Son.

It is indescribable that God would give his only begotten son. It is an indescribable love that drew salvation’s plan. It is indescribable that a holy God would humble himself to be a man and to die for sinful man’s sins.

It is indescribable grace. What grace that brought the plan of salvation to man. By believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, we can become the sons of God. We can have our sins forgiven; we can have eternal life; and we can have peace with God and be at peace.

It is indescribable the gulf that Jesus did span to reconcile God and man, and that gulf was bridged at Calvary.

We can never give like God gives. He has given an unspeakable gift. No man can approach the gift that God gave in giving his own son to die. Think of this for a moment. Though Christ was rich, he left heaven, left all the glory and came down as a missionary to this world. He came not only to live but to give his life to death. It was for you he came to die on the cross. He came to be brutally killed in order that you and I might have eternal life. He made his soul as a sacrifice for sin for you and for me.

We are told in Hebrews that he did this for the joy that was set before Him. Jesus is the wonderful glorious Savior. And we must not ever bring Him down to a lower level. He is the bright and morning star; He is the Son of God who has redeemed us; He is the unspeakable gift to you and me and that is the very apex of giving.

And at the very least we can give thanks.


Don Harrelson is the pastor of Cumberland Bible Church, Cumberland, Maryland