Giving and Christmas — Or, Christmast Presence

As we continue to reflect on the incarnation, we ought to recognize in it how profound it is as a gift of God.

And that is the way that it is framed for us when we hear the lines of God’s great love in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Love gives. Love falls short of the Bible’s definition if it were to remain internal and unexpressed. Love presents and offers and bestows upon others. The gift may be any number of things — love is patient and kind, it doesn’t keep a record of wrongs, or greater love has no man than this that he lay his life down for a friend, or God showing his love for us in that while we were yet sinners he died for us.

At Christmas, we are to marvel at the Giver and the Gift. And we are to see in the overwhelming grace of God that giving is not a one-time spike in God’s generosity. He remains the Giver. Every morning is new with mercies. All the time, we are the recipients of His increase to our lives. As Jesus tells us, ““If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:15–17, ESV)

And, of course, the Spirit is always bearing gifts in us and they are often expressed in relation to others. God is a giver to others through us. We grow in love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness, etc. And those are expressed to others.

At Christmas, we marvel at the gift we have freely received in the coming of Christ—and having freely received, we are also called to freely give.

We need to see that God also makes us into givers.

A Christian, then, is someone marked by this pattern of grace: the more we come to love God, the more we become givers. The more God is making us into the kind of creatures that are capable and willing to give.

This is, after all, the very summary of the law. To “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength” means not only inner devotion but love that gives of our whole lives as a living sacrifice. And the second table of the law—“love your neighbor as yourself”—is likewise a call to give to those neighbors: to give ourselves, our time, our resources, and our care for the good of others.

This is not merely a lesson about the presents we exchange on Christmas morning—though it certainly touches that (God became flesh and that changes how we interact with the physical world). But this is a lesson about gift-giving in general, and about what Scripture teaches us concerning a life of generosity shaped by the God who first gave Himself for us.

At Christmas we do not merely celebrate God’s gift; we are shaped by it. The incarnation forms us into people who give like the God who gave Himself.

What does that look like? How does this shape the way we understand giving?

Because God has given Himself to us in Christ, He is making us into people who gladly give ourselves away.”

I want to look at that in mostly two sections of scripture this morning. “We will look at giving through two lenses: (1) And example of How we give (Colossians 3) (2) Why we give (Luke 6)”

“If God’s gift in Christ makes us into givers, what does that actually look like in daily life? Let’s start with how we give. Turn with me to Colossians 3…”

How To Give?

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:12–17, ESV)

This text tells us that there should be an anticipation to give and preparation for it.

We are to “put on” compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…

Like you would put on the right clothes for the day ahead, you would anticipate what you need for the occasion.

In the same way, we are to prepare ourselves to give. What occasions might that be? The text goes on to say so that when we need to bear with one another, or when complaints come up, or when we must forgive, we are ready.

This is a great challenge in being thoughtful about our approach to life. How much do we prepare to give away?

Think about the situations described. Some of them can of course just come up in life happening without pretext, but how many relationships in your life also already carry an amount of baggage or expectation? How many situations call for meekness or gentleness or kindness in you but you aren’t prepared for? But many of these situations shouldn’t catch us blind; we know that they are coming.

You are coming to church and there is that family or person that has wronged you. Maybe it’s a minor thing—they thought something about you that wasn’t true. They have a bad perception of you. You are afraid and full of self-pity. Perhaps it’s a small thing, but the result is that you don’t talk anymore. Are you ready when you come into worship next Sunday? Have you put on the appropriate attire that you want to have with you?

Of course, to talk about this dynamic as we approach the holidays there is clearly room for application.

How many times do we hear about people getting together with family and the strained relationships between them are the prayer requests? This is the right thing to do! We are to pray as we approach them. This text is an encouragement — that is the right thing to do! And, we are to anticipate and prepare to give in those circumstances.

If you approach it every year with no preparation, then may this text be an encouragement to you.

Also, just to further illustrate this. We obviously do a lot of planning in other areas of our life. Take the holidays again for an example. We prepare the space, we get the fine china ready, light the candles, but if we have not heeded this text and prepared our hearts to give, only our dishes and gifts, then don’t things often go awry? Where there is a lot of expectation and effort but little grace, isn’t it often the beautiful backgrounds of a holiday meal that can seem so heavy when relationships are intensified by all the pressure of the day? Don’t we often hear — I just want to get through this meal in peace. I want a nice Christmas?

This text is a great reminder: Prepare to give.

Identify one person you tend to withdraw from, brace against, or speak guardedly toward.

This season, choose one gift of grace to give that person:

A sincere encouragement

A patient conversation

A deliberate listening ear

A forgiving posture rather than keeping the record of wrongs

We guard ourselves where God is often calling us to give ourselves.

It also tells us to “put on” love, which binds everything together.

Love covers a multitude of sins.

Maybe you are prepped and you go to give away your kindness and your patience and it is met with scorn and snarkiness and contempt; love covers it. Love can bind it all together, keeping you buoyant, bringing you the peace of Christ.

We are told that, “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17, ESV)

When we give, the words and the deeds, we are to do it in the name and remembrance of Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. We are to remember the Gift and the Giver. We must never give in self-pity, thinking that we are doing all the work and effort. We remember that our call to give is not a command that is suspended in mid-air. It is grounded and supported the Incarnation. We must remember what God has given to us in Christ. Freely we received and now freely we must give.

So, how do we give? We plan on it. We prepare. We anticipate and put on the likeness of Christ.

Before you step into the holiday gathering, ask: “What will this setting require of me to give?

Practice mental rehearsal: “If they say X, how will I respond with grace instead of instinct?”

Your heart needs more preparation than your house.

We need more time in the mirror for the heart than for our make up or hair.

As recipients of the incarnation, put on Christ

So Colossians 3 shows us how to give—by putting on Christlike character and preparing our hearts. Now let’s ask the second question: why do we give this way, and what reward are we really after? For that, turn to Luke 6…”

Giving Freely

““If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:32–36, ESV)

Of course there is a way to give that is calculated by what we will get in turn. It can be a genuine gift, but it comes with the motivation of manipulation - we will get gain, we will get favor, we will get reciprocity. Tit for tat, I scratch your back you scratch mine. It’s less than what we have inherited as Christians.

If reciprocity is the way we think about giving, then we will grow stodgy in grace. We will give forgiveness when we feel that it is earned, or when the person is ready to pay us back. We will give a kind word when we are working over a conversation, flattering people with the gift of kindness awaiting it in return. They are more like business exchanges — keeping up appearances.

“And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” (Luke 6:31, ESV)

Don’t give booby traps of expectation and manipulation. Give freely.

God keeps track of our giving of cups of cold water. He is paying attention to our giving.

But Christ teaches us that better than to receive is to give (Acts 20:35).

Christ teaches us that we are to love and do good, expecting nothing in return. At least from man.

But look at what it says right after that: “…and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:35–36, ESV)

We are free to give

Even though we can look past gaining a return from man, it does not mean that we give with no aim for return at all. We just aim at God, not man. We are aiming for His reward and not man’s. And there is nothing wrong at all with seeking the reward of God. When we give in this way, it marks us as Sons of the Most High, we are like Him when we give this way. He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil

[If you remember the pause and question that we had last week about God’s goodwill toward man, this is simply the facet of that verse that I was trying to draw our attention to. As Jesus says, God is gracious to those who don’t deserve it. Our learning to give comes from His lead and example.]

and we are to be His sons, merciful as He is merciful.

Ask yourself:

Do I give to be thanked?

To be noticed?

Because I want something in return?

Because I fear how I’ll be perceived if I don’t give?

Think of someone this year and plan to give to them in a way that is completely unreciprocated, unseen, or impossible to repay.

And how does God reward? He rewards lavishly.

When we give, we don’t have to do it with clinched fists and a hangdog expression, we can expect God to far out-give to us, now and in eternity, than anything that we give away.

As John Bunyan quipped, “there was a man, some thought him mad, the more he gave the more he had.”

God does not tightly ration out His grace — He gives it in heaps. No mind can image what God has planned. No knot of circumstance is too far gone to be worked for our good.

So how does that leave us as a giver?

J.C. Ryle puts it well:

“Never was there a greater mistake than to suppose that real Christianity interferes with human happiness. It is not having too much Christianity but too little that makes people gloomy, wretched, and miserable. Wherever Christ is best known and obeyed there will always be found most real joy and peace.”

“No one will ever be a loser, in the long run, by deeds of self-denying charity and patient longsuffering love. At times they may seem to get nothing by their conduct. They may appear to reap nothing but ridicule, contempt, and injury. Their kindness may sometimes tempt others to impose on them. Their patience and forbearance may be abused. But at the last they will always be found a gainer — often, very often, a gainer in this life and most certainly a gainer in the life to come.”

Response We are free to serve others

Answer: Out of the abundance of His grace, It leaves us freed-up to serve others

Can’t Out-Give God

On not being able to out-give God, look down a few verses more at how Jesus says it in Luke 6:38

“give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”” (Luke 6:38, ESV)

“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” (Proverbs 11:24–25, ESV)

Lewis, as is his way, captures the need for giving well in an illustration:

He says, “A man whose hands are full of parcels can’t receive a gift. … The first step toward having more is to give away what you have.” (Lewis)

To receive more we must open our hands. We must give what is there away. Like God has made the world, when the seed goes in to die, it springs up and bears and exponential amount of fruit. So does the grace of God work in our gifts.

We can never out-give the grace of God. Even the rewards we will receive in heaven are expressions of His generosity. God is the one who gives us the grace that awakens a desire to give. He gives us the very gifts we offer. He provides the resources we give from. And then—astonishingly—He rewards us for giving what He Himself supplied. It is all of grace.

A common pastor story puts it well:

A father hands his young son a dime and says, “Go buy me a piece of candy.” The boy replies, “But can I just keep the dime?” “No,” the father says. “Go buy the candy and bring it to me.” The boy then asks, “Well, can I at least keep the candy?” Again the father says, “No—go and give the gift to me.”

So the son obeys. He buys the candy and brings it back to his father. And then the father smiles and says, “I think it’s time you started receiving an allowance. Here’s a dollar. Thank you.”

He is already pouring out grace—and then He responds to our grace-enabled giving by giving still more.

All of this, of course, takes faith. And this is where we refuse to give. This is where the marriage grows cold and the relationship remains strained, this is where the bitterness festers: we don’t believe that God will bless our gifts. We don’t believe that if we gave forgiveness or patience or grace that it would work. And here is where we fail.

Conclusion

1 John 4:9–11 (ESV) — 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

What is the greatest of all gifts? For God to love us to the fullest expression of His giving, He would not withhold from us the very greatest thing in all of existence. But the very best, the most precious gift, the grandest thing, could only be Himself, for there is none over or above Him. And that is exactly what God has given to us. He who did not spare His only son, how will he not also graciously give us all things?

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (Hebrews 13:16, ESV)

And let us resolve, by grace, to become a little more like the God we worship: to extravagant givers. Prepared to give, even to those who do us wrong.

Christmas invites us to imitate the God who gives Himself.

Questions: