The fourth week of Advent is all about charity. When we think about charity, in the modern sense it means giving to someone in need. In the New Testament, there were people in need at the time of Christ’s birth — actually, the entire world was in need. The best charitable giver of course, was God. — he gave us Jesus. On some level, we know that God did not have to give us Jesus, but he did. We need to realize that both Joseph and Mary were also very charitable during the time leading up to Jesus’ birth.
Mary was a charitable receiver. She had some initial concerns, but then genuine acceptance in the end. In Luke 1:38 we read:
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Joseph was an honorable man. He did not want to cause shame to Mary. Even though his betrothed had told him she was pregnant, he did not get angry. He became charitable – he would do the honorable thing, and divorce Mary quietly. However, in the dream conversation, he recognized truth, and he decided to marry her instead. A lot of things could have dissuaded him. The argument that won was the opportunity to listen to God, and not the words of people around him who might have advised something different.
Charity comes through in the Christmas story as the source of “goodwill”. Our culture refers to goodwill as the “meaning of Christmas.”. When we think about charity, there is a giver and a receiver. Lets compare more differences between the giver and the receiver.
The charitable giver
A few years ago I observed a man at an exit ramp holding an empty gas can. I rolled down my window and offered to drive him to a gas station, help with acquiring the gas, and drive him back to his car. I gave him a $10 bill for his gas can, after he insisted that a ride was not necessary. His car was at a nearby hotel and he did not mind the exercise.
A couple hours later, at the same intersection, I observed the same man with the same empty gas can. He was pleading through my closed window as one who did not recognize me at all. This time I ignored him and drove on. It taught me an interesting lesson. I was the charitable giver in this story — and I had overlooked the need to know more about his life circumstance. As a giver, there is always an implicit measure of trust.
The charitable receiver
For a charitable receiver, he or she needs to demonstrate good. If I do not trust, I will not give to that person unless God directs me to do so. I need to avoid making assumptions about life circumstances.
I cannot be an effective giver if the receiver is clearly pulling a scam – there is no actual need. I am merely lining his pockets with money.
If there is genuine need, a gift fills a hole that needs to be filled. It may or not be a visible filling, but it will be a thing of great value to the receiver.
Learning charity
Several years ago I helped a guy with a significant need and he agreed to pay me back in small monthly installments. It was important to get the money back over time, but I also wanted to help him. Sadly he skipped out on me, and never paid me back. It took me months to get over my anger and frustration My release happened when I realized that my only option was forgiveness. Bad blood was taking over too many areas of my life. I had to drop it completely so it would not eat me up from the inside out.
The forgiveness was freeing. Emotional and spiritual baggage can make anything in life into an exhausting journey. It taught me a lot about giving and receiving.
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- We should not give if we cannot release what we give.
- If the giving will leave us unfulfilled, or create a spiritual/emotional hole, we need to be receivers rather than givers. It is clear that WE need something.
- Spiritual or emotional holes, also known as personal baggage, will create problems.
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- If we are missing something in our hearts, it will be filled with something.
- If the something that fills us is negative, we will only serve to isolate ourselves, drive people away, and wallow in our own self-pity.
- We need to identify the bad filling, and get rid of it.
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- We should fill our hearts with what God has to give, and the pain and exhaustion of the bad blood will be gone.
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There was an awesome amount of goodwill in this story as Jesus’ birth approached. What would have happened if God (the giver) or Mary (the receiver), or Joseph (the receiver) had rejected the gift, or had decided to misuse it? God knows us so well, there was no chance of that happening.
Understanding and trust is key from the giver. Trusting and correctly accepting a gift is key for the receiver. We might not understand the gift for years, but at least it filled our need.
How about it? What prevents you from trusting God? Or, do you trust Him now?
