Christ’s Poverty and Our Riches: A Christmas Message
Christmas is a season when we remember that this world is not our home. Not only that, but we recall that this earthly reality is only a dim reflection of the true reality beyond time and space. When Jesus came to earth as a baby in a manger, He broke into time and He broke into our very brokenness so that we could break out of this world and into eternity. In short, He turned our world upside down and inside out.
God’s economy is not our economy. On the one hand, His wealth surpasses any worldly wealth imaginable. When we call on His resources, we are calling on the God of a million galaxies. Nothing is impossible for Him, the Owner and Creator of all things. When Jesus fed the 5,000, He did so out of the resources of a limitless God. He could as easily have fed 1,000,000 on the hillside that day.
On the other hand, though, God wastes nothing. In fact, He transforms all the trash of our lives – our pain and loss – and creates life and hope and redemption in the midst of it. Judy and I have a large recycle bin from the recycling company, and I’m consistently shocked when the two of us create enough recyclable materials to fill it up in a week’s time. It’s amazing how much “trash” can be recycled into something useful again. God is the ultimate recycler. Whenever there is brokenness, poverty, sin, loss, or hurt in my life, He is capable of redeeming and restoring so that the end result is more beautiful than the original, lost product could ever have been.
Wherever your need this year, and whatever pain and demands press heavily on you, remember that our God is the God of limitless resources who is committed to redeeming and restoring all things for His glory and for our good. And that through his grace, he has sacrificed for us that we too may sacrifice and be generous for others. This Christmas, may He bless you with the faith and hope of Jesus’ birth – and his sacrifice and gift to the world.
Faith & Finance Perspective
The earliest act of Christ-honoring gift-giving comes from the story of the Magi in Matthew 2:1–12. The Magi brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the infant Jesus as expressions of honor and worship. Early Christians saw this as a model for giving gifts in celebration of Christ’s birth. St. Nicholas of Myra, a bishop in early 4th-century Turkey, became famous for his secret generosity—especially in giving gifts to children and the poor. His feast day on December 6 involved gift-giving in many parts of Europe and directly influenced the modern Santa Claus tradition. After the Reformation, many Protestant regions shifted their gift-giving to Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, centering it on the birth of Christ rather than a traditional saint’s day celebration. Martin Luther encouraged parents to give gifts to children in honor of the Christ Child (“Christkindl”), a term that later evolved into “Kris Kringle.”
It is important for us, as worshipers of our newborn and coming King, to carry on the tradition of gift-giving in a true spirit of joy, generosity, and charity. It’s easy for us to be derailed by the consumeristic behaviors of our culture—showering those around us who already live in abundance with even more abundance —and losing sight of the heart of the true Gift-giver himself. Jesus gave up His riches to become poor so that we, though poor, could become rich. This is God’s “indescribable gift” to the world (2 Corinthians 9:15)— a gift nobody deserves but is offered freely to all.
So, as we give good gifts to our friends, coworkers, and loved ones this Christmas, let’s be sure not to overlook the poor, neglected, and underserved in our communities and beyond. Consider supporting a local rescue mission, food bank, or your church’s holiday outreach efforts—as well as The Alliance’s Christmas Offering. In doing so, as His adoptive sons and daughters, we honor the intent of our Heavenly Father’s indescribable gift to the world.
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.
– Galatians 4:4-5