Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Getting ready for Christmas? Of course you are. For some time now, Jan has been baking up a storm in preparation for the Open House (12/15). Jesse and I are already (mid-November) preparing the Christmas eve services. Yes, it is hard to believe Christmas is just around the corner.
Indeed, Christmas will come whether we are ready or not. A big part of getting ready is buying gifts for all the special people in our lives. Do you have your list ready? Have you started shopping yet?
I have come to discover that often the best gifts are NOT the most expensive or beautiful. Oftentimes the best gifts are practical and functional. I am sure there are times when a young mother would appreciate some diapers more than a diamond! Sure, we all like gifts that are fun and perhaps even frivolous, but in this “season of giving”, we need to ask ourselves what gifts can we give that will make someone’s life easier.
Is it possible to give “regular” gifts AND gifts that are even more meaningful – spiritual gifts? These “gifts” that are recorded in the Bible as ways we are to treat each other will bless the other person, but we receive a blessing as well!
The Bible says that prayer is a gift you can give someone. Especially for a person you know going through a difficult time, simply calling the other person and saying “I have been praying for you” might well make his/her day.
You might take it a step further and offer yourself as a listener – you are not there to solve the problem for the other person, just offer that person a chance to speak out loud what is troubling him/her. You would be amazed at how “therapeutic” listening is.
Or how about helping someone to become a better disciple of Christ our Lord. We often refer to this as “mentoring” – taking someone under your wing and helping to guide that person. A mature Christian could really be a blessing to a “babe in Christ” by spending time together.
Even if you think these are just too complex for you, how about trying to just help someone? At a former church, we offered a “car repair ministry” – we worked on church members’ cars and often they stayed to just chat with us. They had a need, and we offered some help. It is really is no more difficult than that. But it does require of us that we be aware of the people around us, and a degree of empathy that we can recognize those needs.
All of this is to say that I am absoltively, posilutely (ha) convinced that our Christian giving cannot just end on December 25th. Perhaps that is why we have a tendency to stop gift-giving for the rest of the year – we about kill ourselves in the few weeks before Christmas and then we are too exhausted to do it again for another year.
Where would we be if God had this understanding of giving? Jesus is given to us and Scripture declares that He is Emmanuel , which means, “God with us”. Not God with us only for the month of December, but all year. Every moment of every day. God keeps giving goodness to us, and if we claim to be Christian – which means, “Christ-like”, then we are required to continue in our giving throughout the year. If God is doing it, then we need to model that same behavior.
I am asking that you consider the possibility that the guy you were going to buy that ugly tie for would be much more appreciative of your spending some time with him, or at least praying for him. Jesus is the “gift that keeps giving”, and you and I need to continue to share Jesus all year long. Give them Christ – and they will thank you in this life, and for all eternity. God has shared with us, so let’s celebrate a joyous Christmas together in the Lord…
With Christ’s Peace,
Pastor Jeff
I Am Legend is already being listed as one of the "big" movies of the year. Based on the review posted at Planet Wisdom, one of the main themes is where is the hand of God in the midst of a disaster? This is a subject that has been discussed in recent years after the attacks on 9/11 and the flooding of New Orleans. It is interesting to see big budget movies that feature God and our place in His plans.
