Think Like Jesus, Give Like God

"Think Like Jesus, Give Like God"

When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:9-11 NRSV)

I don't know about you, but every Christmas now I'm haunted by the Canadian Tire commercial that was driven into my consciousness a few years back - "Give like Santa, Save like Scrooge." I suppose it is a sign of how effective the commercial was that it rings in my head to this very day; but the associations are all negative.

I grew to loathe the Scrooge guy in the ads, and have feelings of sharp animosity towards him to this day. For all I know, the actor who plays him is a lovely chap, a fine family man, a generous soul, but if I saw him on the street, I would have to control the urge to hit him with a wet fish.

Maybe in reaction to that, a couple of weeks ago, I proposed a way to change Christmas from an orgy of overspending to a more realistic and responsible celebration of the birth of Jesus. We looked at the stories of the founders of the organisation called "Buy Nothing Christmas", and how they have sought to have us scale back our spending on one another, and scale up our remembrance of - and our generosity towards - the poor.

Unlike Canadian Tire, Buy Nothing Christmas doesn't tell us to "Give like Santa, Save like Scrooge;" instead, it encourages us to ask ourselves the question, "What would Jesus give?" Or, at the risk of sounding trite, to "Think like Jesus; Give like God."

What does God give us?
Well, we could go on for hours, the New Testament alone speaking of God's gifts to us literally hundreds of times. The Old Testament, many hundreds more.
God is a giver.
But what does God give?
Well, the Apostle Paul reminds us:

The God who made the world and everything in it… himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. (Acts 17:24-25 NRSV)

The world; everything in it; life, breath, all things; that's pretty well it, in a nutshell. No God, no us; no food to eat, air to breathe, no world for us in which to live, no universe in which our world might be. Take that away, and you are pre-Big Bang, which doesn't much bear thinking about.

So let's get that out of the way: Everything we were, are, will be; everything we've had, have, will have; every breath we've breathed, are breathing, will breathe, is a gift from God. Everything. Everything.

For this morning, though, we might narrow the focus a bit. Let's look at what God brings to us through Jesus Christ.

He Brings the Gift of Hope:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! (1 Peter 1:3) And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Romans 5:5)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

He Brings the Gift of Peace:

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." (Luke 1:78-79)

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (John 14:27)

"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

He Brings The Gift of Joy:

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. (Luke 2:8-11)

As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:9-12)

He Brings The Gift of Love:

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)

He Brings the Gift of Life:

My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:27-28)

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35)

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

This sermon could go on for days, if it were to do justice to a real list of what God has given us through Jesus Christ.
But this short list:
Hope

Peace

Joy

Love

Life

This short list is a good start.
And we can make it our Christmas list.
We can use it to "Think like Jesus; Give like God."
We can give to others as God has given to us.

We can give the gift of hope - a hospital visit to one who is sick;
time set aside to visit the lonely souls in Extendicare;
a card to one feeling forgotten;
a phonecall to a friend who thought it was all over;
a flower to one who thought they would never receive a flower again.
A pint of blood given in honour of another.
A gift to a starving nation, to an orphaned child, to a destitute widow, to a family who doesn't know how the next bill will be paid.
We can give the gift of hope.

We can give the gift of peace and rest - an afternoon or evening of babysitting to busy parents;
a day of elder care for one responsible for an aged, infirm parent;
a gift certificate for a dinner out for a busy couple;
a coupon for a quiet afternoon tea.
Yardwork or housework for someone feeling the strain.
The commitment to not purchase toys or entertainment that glorify violence or war.
The prayers for a family in turmoil. We can give the gift of rest.

We can give the gift of joy. A visit to a lonely relative long neglected.
A cheery phonecall to someone we know is low.
A visit and a plate of cookies to one for whom this will be the first Christmas after a death in the family.
Bringing children to visit in a senior's home.
Two chickens and a rooster, or a pair of rabbits, to a third world family struggling to survive.
A letter to that long-lost cousin, schoolmate, friend. We can give the gift of joy.

We can give the gift of love. A visit.
A smile.
A handshake.
A letter.
A hug.
Clothing for the cold; food for the hungry; water for the thirsty; shelter for the poor.
We can give the gift of love.

And when we do these things, the gift of life flows through us, dispels our darkness with light, shines forth and illumines all our world.

The wise men brought gold, frankincense, myrrh.
We can do so much better; we can bring so much more.
As we share God's wonderful gift of bread and wine, may God inspire us this Christmas to "Think like Jesus; Give like God;" giving Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, and in sharing them, bring the light of God's life into all our world. We close with St. Paul's words:

It is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ… Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 4:6; 9:15)

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