“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.”

It was one of those unexpectedly precious, heartwarming moments that melt a father’s heart. My family and I went this past Saturday to an event a local church was doing that included a nativity scene and a “re-creation” of a 1st century village where the kids could do a number of Christmas crafts and have their picture taken. My boys are 4, 3, and 1, and the older two, Ryan and Will, had a great time going from table to table making cookies, ornaments, and other Christmas decorations, while we tried to keep Nate (our one year-old) from destroying the village and eating the glue. After the boys had made their crafts, we entered the sanctuary and headed up to the front, where a teenage boy and girl welcomed us and recited their lines about their wonder at God having chosen them to be the parents of the Messiah, Jesus. Meanwhile, baby doll Jesus lay quietly in the straw between them. After the teens were done saying their lines, we thanked them and exited the sanctuary to gather our crafts and head for home.

Then, all of a sudden, Will stopped and whispered up to me, “We didn’t give baby Jesus his birthday present.” Now Will, our middle son, is aptly named, for he has always been a very strong-willed boy. While Ryan, our oldest, is generally happy and sociable, Will is tough, enjoys being by himself, and is quick to give a withering glare to anyone who crosses him or to throw something across the room if told “no”. But here was this sweet little boy, stopping us in our tracks and turning us around to go back into the sanctuary. Will proceeded to walk back up to the manger and lay a Christmas tree ornament that he had just created in the straw next to baby Jesus. And Ryan, in turn, laid the picture that had been taken of our three boys on the other side of Jesus.

Jesus said “It is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35), and this Christmas, be reminded that with every sacrifice you make, the blessing you will receive in return will far outweigh the price you have paid. Sometimes you experience it right away, but often it may take years to experience the blessing that comes from giving of yourself sacrificially. And sometimes, of course, the reward will not come until you heard Jesus say those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” One little Christmas tree ornament may not be much to us, but our little Will had just put his time into every decoration on that tree, only to give it as a gift to Jesus. In the same way, find a way to give of yourself – your gifts, your time, your money – to God by blessing someone in need this Christmas season, trusting that it is the best investment you could ever make.

Is there a crazier juxtaposition in the calendar year than Thanksgiving and Black Friday?  On the former day, we are encouraged to reflect on what we are thankful for, to enjoy what we have, and to develop an attitude of gratitude.  And then, millions of people set their alarms for some ridiculous hour so that they can push through the crowds the next morning in order to get the best deals on toys and goods for the holiday season.  In the blink of an eye, gratitude turns to covetousness; thanksgiving to full-blown consumerism. 

Now, I’m not saying that it’s necessarily a bad thing to go out on Black Friday and save money on gifts for the loved ones in your life.  After all, I’ve done it myself!  I am saying, of course, what most of us know to be true, that the Christmas season has the frightening ability to inspire the worst in us – greed, the lust for that which we do not have, dissatisfaction with what we do have, impatience and anger with the traffic and crowds (and sometimes family), and a general stress with the busyness of the season.  Thanksgiving may be a beautiful day, but the feelings of gratitude can fade quickly in the bright lights of the holiday season.

So why not decide to take a different path this year?  Why not decide as an individual or as a family that some of the money you would spend on others could be put to better use this year, perhaps to bless someone who truly has needs rather than wants?  If you have children, why not take this opportunity to educate them on what life is like for children in other parts of the world, whose biggest concern is not whether or not they will get an XBox, but whether or not they will have clean water to drink?  You may just find that, as Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35).

There are countless worthy possibilities out there, but one to consider this Christmas season might be the World Vision Gift Catalog (http://www.worldvisiongifts.org/).  World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.  They serve close to 100 million people in nearly 100 countries around the world, truly living out the heart of God for the poor and oppressed.

When you visit www.worldvisiongifts.org, you will see many ways that your money can be used to bless a child or family in need.  For example, $200 will buy a water pump to deliver irrigation to farming families in Africa; $35 will send a girl in Cambodia to school for a year; and for just $25, you can buy two chickens for a family in need.  One of the best things about World Vision is that many of your gifts are multiplied; for example, a donation of $25 to World Vision will deliver $150 worth of supplies to American children in poverty because of corporations who partner with World Vision to donate clothing, shoes, diapers, and other products. 

Do yourself, and the world, a favor and check out www.worldvisiongifts.org.  If nothing else, it will be an education as to the challenges faced by many people around the world, and a reality check as to what you and your family really have, and really need, this Christmas season. 

And if you have other favorite organizations or causes to donate or support this Christmas season, feel free to post a comment.

It was one of those unexpectedly precious, heartwarming moments that melt a father’s heart.  My family and I went this past Saturday to an event a local church was doing that included a nativity scene and a “re-creation” of a 1st century village where the kids could do a number of Christmas crafts and have their picture taken.  My boys are 4, 3, and 1, and the older two, Ryan and Will, had a great time going from table to table making cookies, ornaments, and other Christmas decorations, while we tried to keep Nate (our one year-old) from destroying the village and eating the glue.  After the boys had made their crafts, we entered the sanctuary and headed up to the front, where a teenage boy and girl welcomed us and recited their lines about their wonder at God having chosen them to be the parents of the Messiah, Jesus.  Meanwhile, baby doll Jesus laid quietly in the straw between them.  After the teens were done saying their lines, we thanked them and exited the sanctuary to gather our crafts and head for home. 

Then, all of a sudden, Will stopped and whispered up to me, “We didn’t give baby Jesus his birthday present.”  Now Will, our middle son, is aptly named, for he has always been a very strong-willed boy.  While Ryan, our oldest, is generally happy and sociable, Will is tough, enjoys being by himself, and is quick to give a withering glare to anyone who crosses him or to throw something across the room if told “no”.  But here was this sweet little boy, stopping us in our tracks and turning us around to go back into the sanctuary.  Will proceeded to walk back up to the manger and lay a Christmas tree ornament that he had just created in the straw next to baby Jesus.  And Ryan, in turn, laid the picture that had been taken of our three boys on the other side of Jesus.

Jesus said “It is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35), and this Christmas, be reminded that with every sacrifice you make, the blessing you will receive in return will far outweigh the price you have paid.  Sometimes you experience it right away, but often it may take years to experience the blessing that comes from giving of yourself sacrificially.  And sometimes, of course, the reward will not come until you hear Jesus say those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  One little Christmas tree ornament may not be much to us, but our little Will had just put his time into every decoration on that tree, only to give it as a gift to Jesus.  In the same way, find a way to give of yourself – your gifts, your time, your money – to God by blessing someone in need this Christmas season, trusting that it is the best investment you could ever make.