Power to Give
As the Christmas season approaches I want to reevaluate the
process of Giving. Christmas has moved away from giving and towards a circle of
exchange, aside from “Angel Trees” or similar programs.
The Son of God did not just come to
reveal to humans the circle of blissful exchanges within the Holy Trinity as
the model for gift-giving between humans; he divested himself of heavenly
wealth and became a Holy Child so that the fragile flesh of humanity could be
taken up into the embrace of the eternal God. In both of these cases, the
circle of intimates opened up, and the gifts left that circle to reach those in
need. Gifts did not travel on a two-way street so that the closed circle of
givers and receivers could delight in their exchanges; gifts traveled on a
one-way street so that the needy could be helped.
Christmas celebration is about two
kinds of gift giving, not just one. It is about reciprocal giving in a circle
of intimates, an enactment of a provisional advent of God’s future world of
love. It is also about unidirectional giving to those outside the circle of
intimates, a small contribution to aligning the world of sin and need with
God’s coming world of love. Mostly at Christmas, we practice the first kind of
giving (that is, we practice it if we succeed in resisting the temptation to
make Christmas into a large festival not of mutual delight but of common greed,
a season in which we use faith to justify our greed).
…For Christmas is not the goal, the
realization of the world of Perfect love. Christmas is the movement toward that
goal, the endeavor of God to draw all people into the world of love.
-Miroslav Volf (Against the Tides,
p.174-175)
I have observed on the youth mission trip to Mexico an odd
occurrence. The youth will do crafts daily with the children in Mexico and, the
children usually wish to give their completed craft to a student they care
about. My first instinct was that the children must not really want the craft
or do not understand that it is theirs to keep. But this odd occurrence happens
too frequently for this to be the case. It is my theory that the child deeply
wants to give a symbol of appreciation to the student he or she love, and the
only thing they possess to give is that craft. We, without meaning to, have
enabled them with the power to give, and with this power the children freely
gave. (Howie has also observed this in Russia with the orphans.)
The Idea:
I want us to put together “Presents” for the Christmas
season. The recipients of the “Presents” will be those in need, who are outside
our circle of intimates. Most likely we will try to reach the homeless of
Amarillo. The idea is to give them a gift this holiday season, and then to also
give them a gift to give to someone. God is the ultimate giver, and he has
bestowed blessings in our life so that we have the ability to partake in the
blessing of giving. This project will not only allow us to give to those in
need but also empower them to be able to give as well. The common adage “it is
better to give, than it is to receive”, seems selfish to me if they are the
ones only able to give. Included in the “Presents,” we will include a letter to
the receiver about what Christmas means to you, and what we want them to do
with the other gift. We will deliver together, personally give our “Presents”
and then pray for them and wish them a Merry Christmas.
“Present” will include:
2 gifts both about $10 dollars each
2 Gideon Bibles (Provided)
1 Hand Written Letter
Cost: About $20
What I want from you:
I will not accept money
towards this cause; I only want people who are committed. If you would like
to participate, you are responsible for providing a “Present.” This means
purchasing, wrapping, and delivering. (Partnerships can be done, but details
will be handled by those involved.) I will set two dates that we can travel to
purchase together and wrap together and then another date to deliver together.
Possible Questions:
Is it mandatory that they give the second present away? No,
giving should come from their heart. We are only giving them an opportunity and
suggestion.
I will be out of town on the delivery dates. Can I still
participate? Every city has homeless people, and I suggest you give your
“Present” wherever you will be.
Should I not do the Angel Tree? I do not want to prevent you
from taking part in anything you typically do at Christmas; this is designed to
be in addition to. It would be great to be able to give as much outside the
circle of intimates as we do inside.
What types of gifts? Something that would improve their quality
of life: socks, gloves, blankets, etc.
Can I spend more that $20? I would recommend not to do so. Jealousy
and thievery runs rampant in homeless circles. We want to give equal gifts as a
whole, so as not to feed the fire of infighting.
Why won’t I accept money? I have no intention of stealing
the blessing that I feel this will be in your life.
