Christmas Giving
Luke 6:27-38
A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick
As you well know, Christmas in today’s world consists of a number of components:
Traditional and contemporary Christmas tunes floating from every radio, TV, CD player, and PA system; People hustling through the mall and bustling about attending family gatherings and work parties. But what is of special interest today is something that we have been told much of our economy is based on, the giving of gifts. This year there seems to be some disappointment on the way. While merchants count on holiday shopping for up to a third of their annual sales, most analysts predict a lack luster retail season, with no more than 3 to 4 per cent growth. (CBS News) “We think it’s going to be the weakest Christmas since the early 90s,” said Ethan Harris, chief U.S. economist at Lehman Brothers (MSNBC news Report). Perhaps, like me, you’ve wondered where it came from, this annual obsession of heaping gifts, this frantic tearing away of multi-colored wrapping paper to find out an answer to the all-important question, “Did I get what I wanted for Christmas?” It seems that there are very few people in America who could possibly believe that Christmas could exist without giving and receiving gifts. Haven’t you ever heard someone say, “We’re broke this year, so we won’t be able to have Christmas”? Interestingly, it appears that we can have Christmas without Christ, Christmas without God, Christmas without church - but not Christmas without gifts. Some may even go so far as to say that at least two of the three major fruits of Christmas (Love, Joy, Peace) are present at Christmas-time because people show Love by giving, and those who receive the gifts experience Joy – at least if they like what they’ve been given. Did you ever wonder what it is that drives this giving binge? Is it merely custom or tradition? Do we give out of some sort of obligation? Is it, at least in some cases, sympathy or pity? Is it in return for a favor, or expectation for a favor to come? Are Christmas gifts born of love, or are they given with the hope of receiving something back, at least realizing some joy in seeing others happy with our gift to them? After all, isn’t it true that “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35)? That’s what the Apostle Paul wrote, and he attributed the saying to Jesus. Actually, there can be found in Scriptures some not so positive sayings about this matter of giving and receiving gifts.
“Everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts.” (Proverbs 19:6) “Eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.” (I Corinthians 12:31) A few verses later Paul identifies “love” as the more excellent way. (“If I give all I possess to the poor . . . but have not love, I gain nothing.” - I Corinthians 13:3) Also, and not especially encouraging, gift exchanges are prophesied about in the last book of the New Testament: “The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.” (Revelations 11:10) As you can see, this celebration takes place because of the death of the two God-sent witnesses, a far cry from the kind of celebration represented in our Christmas tradition. There are several historical precedents to gift giving, but for many people, the Christian tradition is believed to have begun with the Magi who brought gifts to the newborn “King” – they “presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11) Of course our question would be, if we are following the example of the Magi, why do we give our gifts to each other, why not give gifts to Jesus as they did? By the way, did you ever wonder how Joseph’s family of three was supported while in Egyptian exile? Could it have been with the gold and the proceeds from selling the precious spices? Perhaps Jesus had this in mind when He gave the instruction, “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” (Matthew 6:20)
If we go back further in history we might conclude that the practice of giving of gifts may have come from the feast of Purim. This, as you remember, was a feast instituted to celebrate the victory of the Jews in the days of Queen Esther when she dared to speak up against Haman who had secured a decree to have all Jews annihilated. A brief description is given near the end of the book that bears her name: “observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.” (Esther 9:22) Or perhaps another Jewish holiday, Hanukah, stands behind this practice of gift giving, especially seeing as this observance is also celebrated at the same time of year as Christmas (this year it began 11/29/02). Let me tell you a little about Hanukah, or Chanukah, as it is often spelled.
One hundred years after Alexander's conquest of the Persian Empire in 333 BC, Antiochus III added Israel to his empire. Later, his successor, Antiochus Epiphanes IV (175-163 BC), began a ruthless policy of using Greek culture to destroy the Jewish religion. He attempted to force the Jews into idolatry and to accept the Hellenistic way of life. Following their victory, the Maccabees, sons of the Priestly Hasmonean family who led the Jews in their revolt against the Syrian overlords, entered the Holy Temple in Jerusalem that had been defiled by the Syrian invaders; they cleansed the temple and dedicated it anew to the service of God. The Talmud relates how the Judean heroes, led by Judah Maccabee, were unable to find enough undefiled oil to light the lamps. However, in one of the temple chambers, they finally came upon a small cruse of oil, which, under normal circumstances, would have lasted only one evening. Miraculously, this small amount of oil kept the Temple lights burning, not for one night, but for eight nights until new oil fit for use in the temple could be obtained. This is the miracle commemorated by the lighting of the lamps during Chanukah. On each of the eight days, feelings of gratitude are expressed through special prayers, and the lights of the Menorah are lit each evening. It is also customary during the holiday for members of the family to play a game called “dreidel,” to give presents, and to eat oily delicacies such as doughnuts, pancakes and "latkes." Chanukah also means inauguration and education. For this reason it became customary for community officials to gather during Chanukah and to prescribe ways of enhancing Torah study among Jewish youth. Consequently, the custom of giving Chanukah "gelt" (Chanukah money) to the children grew, and by extension, the custom of giving presents on Chanukah has also become fashionable. The Menorah, candelabrum with nine branches specifically called a Chanukiah, is used.
On the first night of the festival two lights are lit, and the number increases by one each night until the eighth night when all the lights are lit. One light, called the Shamash which means “servant,” is placed slightly apart from the others and is used to light the other lights. The Chanukiah is placed where it can be seen from outside such as in the window. If we’re looking for a Bible verse to base this practice on, we might look at the words of Jesus found in one verse in the Bible which some might see as a motivation to give.
Of course we all know this principle to be valid, but doesn’t it seem self-serving? Where’s the self-sacrificing love in that? It would do us well to look at the full paragraph in Luke 6:
“Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even `sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even `sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even `sinners' lend to `sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:27-38) Notice that tucked away in the middle of this passage is what we know as the “golden rule,” “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” If you “judge” and “condemn,” you will be judged and condemned. By the same token, if you forgive, you will be forgiven. Give and it shall be given unto you. Notice also the promised reward, “you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” Being sons means that we not only become heirs to all the glories and riches of heaven, but also that we become like Him in his attributes of mercy and kindness. So, “give and it will be given to you” has nothing to do with “presents.” Rather, it has to do with giving mercy instead of condemnation – forgive and you will receive forgiveness. What better way can there be found to celebrate Christmas than to give to one another this most precious of all gifts, the gift of forgiveness? Pause for a moment and ask yourself, “Who in my family needs this gift?” In our family, we have taken a couple of measures in order to get a handle on the runaway inflation of gift giving to each other. One thing is that we have taken up a collection among our own family members in order to give to another family with a need. I told my children that I would match their gift. The other thing we have done is to draw names so that each family member only gives gifts to one other family member. In order to facilitate this, each member is asked to provide a GWL, a “Gift Wish List” so that the person who happens to draw their name has some hints for purchases. Perhaps there are other families who do the same. If that is the case, I wonder what would happen if on the GWL someone included the word “forgiveness”? The last time I spoke on the subject of forgiveness, one of the men of the church came to me and told me his story. To the best of my ability, I’d like to share it with you.
Then one day a relatively new colleague, we'll call him Bob, came to Bill and ask if he would help him by sharing the servicing of some of his customers. Being a gracious man, and willing to share his success, Bill agreed, and a number of clients were provided as shared accounts. However, it turned out that Bob had other designs. At the end of the each customer's policy year, Bob would go to them and sell them a little larger policy, and thus it would be taken out of the "shared policy" column and placed in his own commission column. This went on for two years. So not only was Bill defrauded out of his regular commissions for these customers, but when it came time for the year-end bonuses to be handed out, he did not have enough renewed contracts to reach the percentage needed for the bonus. For him, this meant a loss of thousands of dollars. Not long after realizing what was happening, Bill went to see Bob. He confronted him with what he knew, and then said, "I will no longer be in partnership with you, and furthermore, I will never speak to you again." With that, he turned around and walked out of Bob's office. For two years Bill kept his promise. Whenever Bob happened to pass by, Bill would divert his eyes and walk right past. A couple of times when Bob seemed to be approaching, Bill turned and walked away. But then one day Bill decided he couldn't bear the guilt any longer, for even though he was a Christian, he was no longer able to repeat the Lord's Prayer - the words "forgive us as we forgive those who have sinned against us" stuck in his throat. So he went to see Bob again. This time he looked his former partner in the eye and said, "Bob, I forgive you for what you did, and I want to ask you to forgive me for the anger I have held in my heart these past two years." Bob said, "What? You want me to forgive you? But you didn't do anything, I was the one in the wrong." Bill replied, "No, you see in my faith we are taught to forgive those who do us harm, and for these two years I was not willing to do that, and that's why I'm asking for your forgiveness." Bob still had trouble understanding, but when Bill turned to leave, it was as though a huge, heavy weight had dropped off his shoulders and he determined right then and there that with God's help, he would never again hold unforgiveness in his heart. At the same time, please remember that there is available to you a similar Christmas present coming from the Lord Himself. He holds out to you today this gift, the gift of God’s forgiveness, a gift that will take you through eternity in the very presence of God.  - - Return to Top of this Page  - Email a Link to this Page
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