God does not save us, the apostles preached, based on any good things we have done. Simply put, they said we couldn’t fix the profound problem of humans missing the mark, because we ARE the problem. That’s why we needed Jesus, the Savior to do for us what we could never do for ourselves, however good we tried to be. God, they said, saved us through Jesus out of sheer divine grace and mercy.

• It is humbling enough to read that salvation is not based on anything we have done that sometimes we resist that. Is there a point in your past (even your recent past) which you can identify as “foolish, disobedient, deceived,” or are you more in the “I’ve always been a pretty good person” camp? Do people in both groups need God’s mercy for rebirth and renewal? When have you most clearly sensed God’s mercy toward you?
• We know (though we regularly forget) that Christmas is not really about how much “stuff” we can get, or give. The letter to Titus described salvation as the gift “God poured out upon us generously through Jesus Christ our savior.” What helps you, amid all the holiday hoopla, to remember that Jesus the savior is God’s ultimate generous “Christmas gift”?