We often call Christmas the Season of Giving,
and that's pretty awesome! It's great to
see that the birth of Christ can serve as an inspiration to the world to be
more charitable. There is absolutely no
problem with this! I see bumper stickers
demanding that we all remember to keep Christ as the center of Christmas, which
works for those of us who know Him.
However, for the passing world which has no idea who Jesus is, how much
sense does that make? They don't
understand the need for a Savior yet, they don't recognize the price of a life
owned by sin, nor do they recognize the birth of the One who willingly paid
that debt...not yet at least. What do
they see? They see the name of Christ
attached to a holiday that professes selflessness as its central theme. And, you know what? That's pretty accurate!
The example of giving at Christmas does not
ultimately come from the gifts of the wise men, nor does it come from December
25th being adopted as Jesus' birthday.
One of the best scriptures explaining from where giving at Christmas
comes is Philippians 2:3-8 which says, "(Christ Jesus), being in very
nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own
advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a
servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming
obedient to death—even death on a cross!"
In the first half of that verse, we find
ourselves at Christmas. Sure, it misses
the narration by Linus about the shepherds in the field being terrified and the
"no room at the inn," but we as Christians must remember why the
story of Mary, Joseph, the angels, the Shepherds and, four years later, the
Magi is important. This was not a Silent
or Holy Night in and of itself. The
question is what "Came Upon a Midnight Clear?" What, beyond the mere tradition of it all,
happened? It was at that moment when
Jesus decided that it was time to forsake His Godly position and become a man,
or as Paul writes in Philippians 2, made Himself "nothing." He came as a servant of all people for all
time. This gift continued until
around 33 years later when Jesus reached the summit of His purpose on earth,
when He died on the cross for our sin.
Jesus is the gift at Christmas, not merely His presence but ultimately
His selfless sacrifice.
So, this Christmas, let's focus on the words
of application that came right before the above passage in Philippians 2. These are verses 3 and 4 which say, "Do
nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value
others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to
the interests of the others." It's
not enough to give gifts, because we can give for selfish reasons. We aren't called to be generous, we're called
to be selfless. We aren't called to be
giving because it feels good, we are called to put others above ourselves
regardless of how it feels. Jesus made
Himself obedient to death on a cross, and, from what I have read, that doesn't
feel nice at all. 1 John 3:16 says,
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for
us." He placed the needs of everyone
over His own needs. That’s what
Christmas is all about! So what? John continues, "And we ought to lay
down our lives for our brothers and sisters."
In this Season of Giving, let's have the
attitude of Jesus. Let's consider the
needs of others so much greater than our own that we lay everything we
have and are, our entire lives, down for their sake. Let's not just put Christ back in
Christmas...let's be Christ in Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
In His Grip,
BJ
