Ephesians 3:14-19 — For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Did that wake you up? “What, Christmas not about giving? Of course it is!” Well, maybe. We’ll see. At the very least it’s about a great deal more than giving, and the giving seems to come ever more to the forefront and the “great deal more” seems to get pushed further and further into the background. I’ve a feeling that this might be the first of a few Christmas devotions — but let’s start with this question of giving.
Now don’t get me wrong. I love giving (and receiving!). What bothers me is that — even in our church — there are more and more “giving” programs. And again, please don’t misunderstand me — I’m not against those programs. It’s just that I don’t always see the connection made in the program that draws people to salvation, or helps those who are already saved to get closer to God.
Now it’s completely possible that I’m confused (you knew that, right?) but I think that the foundation of the Christmas story is relational. God could have chosen so many ways to come to earth, but He came as a baby. And the Biblical Christmas story is really told about people. It starts with Zacharias and Elizabeth, and then there’s Joseph and Mary. There are shepherds and Magi … and even Herod the evil King. And all of those people, except Herod of course, are marked by their faithful obedience to God.
There’s something in the Christmas story that should build faith, too. Jesus was promised long ago, and delivered just on time! The story of His lineage is wonderful. From the beginning of time the plan for redemption was in place.
The relationships, and the lineage should draw our attention to another thing too. The Christmas story has family at its heart. Mary and Elizabeth were cousins. Joseph and Mary were parents. Bethlehem was the birthplace because Joseph came from David’s family.
So please, participate in every giving program that you can. Have you children and grandchildren get involved in every way they can … But look, too, for every opportunity to look behind the giving to the family, the faith, and the relationships. Wouldn’t it be great if after this Christmas we weren’t talking about what we gave and got but, instead, who we met and shared with?