6. Why did Jesus die?

Its your first job. The month has been hard but exhilarating, now it is pay day. Your first pay day. A brown envelope lands on your desk. Your hands grab it and rip it open before it has time to collect a molecule of dust.

It says… “Thank you”.

You think it’s a practical joke for the new kid on the block, but it isn’t. You rip up the note and head for the door, collecting your coat on the way.

Christmas day dawns. “It’s time!” comes the shout up the stairs. A flurry of feet bombard the staircase as your child dashes down to the living room. Presents surround the tree base. His little face shows more illumination that the fairy lights.

“Here Mum, here Dad.” You stand bemused as your child hands over his piggy bank. “If its not enough I’ll get a paper round when I’m older and one day I’ll pay back every penny.”

“But…you don’t owe us anything!”

“Those presents don’t grow on trees Mum.”

“They’re gifts!”

“Oh.”

A worker not paid for his work. A child not accepting his gifts. I don’t think so! We earn our wages. We accept our gifts. A verse in the Bible says this:

“For the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus”

God is both merciful and just. Two sides of the same coin. Jesus died for what we deserved. Who isn’t a sinner? I know I am. Jesus offers the gift of eternal life. Who has accepted that gift? I know I have.