Dear Church,
So what is on your Christmas list? I can honestly say that all I’m asking for this year are socks and boxers. I really don’t have anything that I’m dying to have or longing to get this year. I just have holey socks and boxers! Here’s a question for you to think about. What’s the best gift you’ve ever given? Not gotten, but given? The best gift I’ve ever given was a leather jacket that my brothers and I scrimped and scraped up money for; it was for our Mom the first Christmas after my parents split up. Kyle and I were in High School and with all our reffing money along with a few bucks from Mark; we paid $108 for a sleek, black leather jacket for my Mom. It was perfect and a total surprise. She opened it up and nearly cried she was so overwhelmed with joy and love. I’ll never forget that. So, what is the best gift that you’ve ever given?
Sometimes I think gift giving gets a bad rap in Christian culture; something like if you’re a Christian, then you really shouldn’t spend any money on Christmas gifts. You know, it is just such a waste of money to give gifts to your loved ones. Huh? When I read the Bible, I read countless stories of people radically blessing others with gifts. Large gifts. Expensive gifts. Lavish gifts. The kind of gifts that people would have turned their heads to and gone, “what a waste of money!” Now, I’m certainly not saying that going out and buying a brand new Lexus with one of those giant red bows on it for your husband or wife is a good use of resources simply because you love them. On a side note, whoever really puts those giant red bows on a car?! But when we look to the story of Scripture we see people who gave in a big way for gospel purposes. So what separates lavish gifts that make their way as good examples in the Bible and lavish gifts that we scoff at? Well, I think it comes down to how we handle the reality that to whom much is given, much is expected. With the ability to give comes responsibility. Everyone talks about “the perfect Christmas,” but does that mean we spoil our kids rotten and give them everything they’ve ever wanted? And then when we don’t give them all that they ever wanted, and they complain, we cave in?! Or does it mean that we spend and spend and spend and live on credit far beyond our means? I don’t think so. With giving comes responsibility. With giving comes prudence. With giving comes joy.
I stood around Fritz Boomsma’s bedside this week, holding his yellowish looking hand having come out of a bruiser of a surgery for his cancer. Fritz didn’t seem to care in the least about what gifts he would be getting this Christmas. I held the hand of another friend deeply hurting this past week and about the last thing on earth she seemed concerned with was with her Christmas shopping. And I looked in my closet this week wondering what to wear and counted that I could wear a different sweater for every day for over two and a half weeks. My point, my friends, is simply that we have enough. Enough stuff. Enough sweaters. Enough things to fill our homes.
Here’s maybe something to keep in mind this Christmas season when it comes to giving gifts. Leave room for a gift to the King. Leave room in your Christmas shopping budget for a gift to give to the King. Have you ever thought about that? What tangible gift could you get for Jesus? And think about this parents and grandparents. Think about the lesson that we could teach our kids and grandkids and great grandkids if we all made a point to give a tangible gift to the King every Christmas? Funny you should ask that Pastor Matt. This weekend we’re unveiling an opportunity for you to do just that. Give a gift to the King. So keep your ears and eyes and hearts open to where you might be called to give a gift to the King. Could this be the Christmas where you give the best gift you’ve ever given? More information to come…
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Matt
