Generosity

How many times over the past two years, the pandemic years, did you find yourself missing the “normal”? There was time away from work, school, friends, family, and all activities. We consistently were aware of the risk of an unknown virus while, at the same time, we were longing to replace the things that we were missing. In 2022 we have begun to return, and we have done so with many things in our lives at 90% or greater. We are back in the office, school, sporting events, and church. Over the past two years, we have all reflected and realized what is important to us and what events, gatherings, and social interactions we could not do we missed.

With this return in mind, I desire for us to seek the “important” things of Christmas this Christmas; things that are spiritual, secular, and traditional. What makes Christmas well Christmas. Ask those around you to finish this sentence; “It’s just not Christmas without?” There are going to be so many different answers. For our family in 2020 and 2021, I know that we have said that very phrase, “It’s just not Christmas without.” We have lost family members in death, gained family members in matrimony, and changed family traditions to make Christmas well Christmas. 

Regarding faith, we know that it is not Christmas without Christ. If it were not for the Christmas story recorded in the Gospel accounts, we would not have Christmas. We have read the Old Testament prophecies and Messianic verses. We have learned about a young teen girl named Mary and her husband, Joseph. Now is the time to take the yearly readings of Christmas, the years of learning about the events, and apply all of the combined in our daily lives. During this Advent season, our focus will be on observing the things that make Christmas well Christmas. 

Christmas began with generosity. The generosity of God the Father providing His one and only Son as a gift of grace, mercy, and love for the entire world. It’s just not Christmas without generosity. In theory, most people would agree that giving is a good thing. However, the practice of generous giving in the way God provided and Jesus taught is uncommon. We love seeing talk show hosts give generously to people in need. We love hearing stories about random acts of kindness. So if we agree to give is a good thing, and we love hearing stories about giving, what is holding us back from being more generous? We will begin to experience the joy of giving when we recognize the hang-ups or obstacles that keep us from giving and when we start to look for opportunities that are all around us daily. 

1 Timothy 6:17-19 teaches us how to give generously. “Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy 18 Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good reserve for the age to come, so that they may take hold of life that is real.” Paul is writing to teach us not to think of “rich” in terms of money, but rather situational. The large majority of us, in comparison to the rest of the world and to the rest of humans who have ever lived, could be considered a part of the “rich” Paul is addressing. He urged them, and he encouraged us to give for eternal gain. It’s not Christmas without generosity. We are to give for eternal gain. 

History has shown us that God’s generosity changed the world. Your generosity can also aid in continually changing the world. When God’s people happily render the service of meeting one another’s needs by giving generously, the result is thanksgiving to God. Those receiving gifts from other believers recognize His hand at work and thank Him. We tend to think we must give considerable amounts to nonprofit organizations globally if we are going to change the world. Those gifts are good and essential, but taking generosity to the world starts at home. God changes the world by using our generosity to inspire others to live for Jesus and follow His example of generosity.