Your parents took a chance every Christmas. When they took your wish list to Toys ‘R Us and went into debt for your seasonal high, they took the chance you would forget the connection between the gifts and the givers. In your holiday rush, would you remember their lasting love that led them to give these temporary toys?

God takes that same chance. In Roman, Paul laments, “They . . . worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator” (1:25). See the problem? The very creation the Creator created, the very gifts the Giver gave, were worshiped in his place. Instead of loving God and enjoying the gift, they just took the gift and forgot to love God.

We do that too. When our passion for sports consumes so much time that there is no quantity time for prayer. When the lake house pulls us away from worshiping with God’s people instead of inspiring us to worship with God’s people. When an addiction to cleanliness leads to grouchiness (which is far from godliness). We often love creation too much.

But there is hope. Instead of simply being offended, our Creator sent his Son into the creation. To search. To rescue. To redeem. Jesus not only forgave our “creationalotry,” but he also sent his Spirit to open our eyes to a joy greater than all of creation can offer—the joy of seeing the face of a forgiving Father.