Give or Take

Prayer

Season of Giving

Story of “Real-Life Grinch”

I came across a recent story about a 30 year-old woman who was caught trying to steal someone’s Christmas gifts from under their tree - just so happened to Robert De Niro’s home. When the police caught her in the house, she was messing with his I-pad (you almost have to appreciate a criminal calm enough to take her time in the midst of the act, especially considering that this was in broad daylight).

As it turns out, part of the reason she was so cool under pressure is because she is very used to this - both burglary and getting arrested. Turns out, she has 26 prior arrests on her record - she is what the police refer to as a “serial burglar.”

And get this, she committed at least seven of those burglaries in that same area, east side of Manhattan, in various homes and businesses from between November 25 & December 11 of this year. Somehow she didn’t get the memo that’s the first part of the Christmas season - and Christmas is supposed to be season of giving.

That’s what all these gifts were for - family members sharing gifts with one another!

Central part of our celebration of Christmas, expressing care and gratitude and love toward others through giving gifts.

Santa Claus - that’s his whole gig, he gives gifts, you write him a letter or whisper it right in his ear, he brings toys to all the good little boys and girls throughout the world.

Most of you, I’m sure, will spend time this evening - or tomorrow morning (maybe a bit of both) sitting around the living room together, watching as everyone opens their gifts. This is the season of giving.

But this young woman, she turned it into a literal season of taking (the whole criminal justice system doesn’t seem to be working very well up there in New York, but that’s a whole other story). This woman was a real life Grinch, she was stealing Christmas. Some might even say that she’s a foul one, a nasty-wasty skunk, with a heart full of unwashed socks, a soul full of gunk. In fact the three words that best describe her as as follows, and I quote, stink, stank, stunk.

Give or Take

Ok, so maybe I went a little too far on that one. But it does hit us, doesn’t it? It seems particularly wrong for someone to be taking all these gifts that were wrapped and ready to be given.

And I think that’s because we know absolutely that there’s something deeply good and right about giving - and something terribly wrong about taking.

Just think about how pervasive giving is a part of our lives, way we honor and celebrate each other and special occasions. Certainly here at Christmas time, but for birthdays, events that recognition accomplishments - graduations, anniversaries, retirement, housewarming parties or celebrations like weddings, baby showers - list goes on. We give a lot of gifts.

Not just us here in U.S., but this is true across the world - every culture gives gifts as a way to celebrate and honor, very much a part of what it means to be human and how we express love and care and honor for one another - through giving.

So that someone who would go against very spirit, the heart of what we celebrate - that they would take instead of give, well, you’re a mean one, Mr. - or as the case may be - Mrs. Grinch.

I want to suggest to you why this is, why giving is such a fundamental part of what it means to be human - because this is how we were made by God. - to give. To be self-givers. To give of ourselves for the sake of others. It is fundamental to love, what love is. And you can see this played out in all sorts of ways, especially as you contrast giving versus taking.

If you were working on a group project - perhaps a school or work project. You were the one who came up with a really good idea - idea that made project. How different it is if someone in your group gives you a compliment, praises you in front of the teacher or boss for your great idea - versus someone who, behind your back, takes the credit, telling the teacher or boss it was their idea. Giving versus Taking.

Or experience of a one-sided relationship, you make the effort, you take the time to engage, to listen, show interest in that person. But it’s never reciprocated, their focus is on themselves, all the things going on in their life. You give, they take. Or perhaps they “take” in a sense by not giving. By withholding, ignoring or neglecting. You might not think that’s taking - but in a real way you’re diminishing who that person is, by not treating them as someone created in image of God, precious and worthy. We do same thing when we speak angry words with each other. We’re taking, diminishing the other, as opposed to sharing words of care and gratitude and encouragement - those are words build up, they give life.

Gets far more serious than that - think about sexual relationships, beauty of a husband and wife willingly giving themselves to each other. Contrast that with the horrific act of sexually assault, of rape, it is taking another by force, trauma that inflicts.

Or, the worst thing we could do to another - to kill them. To take their life. To take that which we do not have power to give, that which only God can give. This is why murder is so very, very serious. Though we can’t give life, contrast the taking of a life with giving of our life poured out for another. Sacrificial love, doing for others when it costs us dearly.

God’s Giving

Over and over we can see that in the contrast between Give and Take, giving is what we were made for, that to give is life-giving, it builds others up. Alternatively, to take from another is to deny, diminish, destroy another.

Jesus himself said it this way in John 10:10…The thief comes only steal, kill and destroy. It’s interesting, isn’t it, that the thief - person who takes - doesn’t just steal, he kills. She destroys. That’s what taking that which you have no right to does.

Jesus goes on…But I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full. Jesus describes himself as one who gives, whose whole purpose was to give life, full and forever life. This is why I came.

This is why we instinctively know that giving is the good - and why we don’t have a season of taking. Why so much of our celebrations involve giving, why we express love and care and honor by giving - we were made for it because we were made in God’s image, to be like him.

God’s very nature is that of self-giving. God gives and gives and gives. That’s particularly evident in what we’re celebrating this evening - God giving of his son for the sake of the world.

As we heard in the Gospel of Luke, the angel came to make his proclamation to that group of shepherds working the night shift, tending their flocks: Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. This babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, is to you. For you. A gift.

And it’s for everyone, for all people - good news that will cause great joy for all the people. There’s a reason the angel made the announcement to this group of ordinary folks, just doing what they did most nights, their job - instead of at the royal palace or in the temple. It was a way of making the point - this is for you, too, for everybody.

And it’s great gift. Tomorrow morning there’s going to be a lot of excited faces as gifts are opened, But nothing like this gift, this gift is going to bring great joy for all who receive it.

Because a Savior has been born. Not just a Savior, but the Savior. Here’s the thing, these shepherds had no idea in that moment what that meant, what exactly this baby was going to save them from - and what it would cost him to do so. What he would give.

But God knew. He knew exactly what it would take to save us from our sins. What it require to redeem all of our taking, all of stealing, killing and destroying. Here God is willingly giving his Son, born to you. Jesus, with that same heart of self-giving, gave the ultimate gift, there is no greater gift than to give your life for the sake of another. This is what Jesus, freely and willingly, gave for us, that we might have life, life to the full.

My hope and prayer is that you will receive this gift, grab it, embrace - with great joy.

That your response to Jesus would be, “yes, please!” I want life, I want the life to the full that you came to give.

That you would allow Jesus to teach you how to live how he created you to live. That between giving and taking, you would grow more and more towards giving.

In Acts 20, Paul is offering some final words of encouragement to the leaders of the church in Ephesus, and he reminds them what Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

If I’m honest, this is one of those things from the Bible that in my head I would nod my head in agreement with - yeah, that’s true. But I didn’t really believe it - not to the point that I would take it seriously, to really live it out, by moving more and more toward being someone who gives. Who gives of themselves for the sake of others.

This realization hit me the other day - Jesus would know, wouldn’t he? He’d know that it’s not just better to give than to take, but it’s more blessed to give even than to receive. He’d know because he did it, he gave completely of himself, held nothing back. He’d do it all over again - because he knows blessing of giving of himself.

Started this message telling story of a woman, the serial burglar - in the article she was referred to as a real-life Grinch. I’m assuming most of you know the story of the Grinch who stole Christmas - Grinch embodies “taking.” He thinks he can steal Christmas by taking it all. But he doesn’t realize that the Who’s - who are givers - aren’t limited to just giving gifts. They give what they have - and so if all the trimmings and decorations and gifts and even roast beast is taken, they’ll give their affection, they’ll share their delight of each other, they’ll give of themselves.

And because they do, Grinch’s heart is transformed, grows three times larger - grows from being a taker to a giver. Think about the Christmas Carol, same theme, Scrooge grows from being a taker to a giver.

This is the essence of what it means to be a Christian, to be a follower of Jesus, your life freely given over to Jesus. That in response to Jesus’ self-giving, the gift of his life for you - that you would respond by giving freely of yourself to him, for the sake of others.

Jesus, I give myself in love and obedience to you.

As I said, my hope and prayer is that you would receive this gift, this gift of the God’s son, the Savior, born to you. That you would be mindful of all the good gifts you’re going to experience in this Christmas season (season of giving) - all great food, cookies & treats, good mug of hot chocolate, heat and warmth!, blessings that we have gifts piled up under trees, and so many more - our God gives and gives and gives. My hope and prayer is that it would grow your heart (3 times), that you, too, might willingly give of yourself to Jesus.