Worship Jesus with our Christmas Gifts?
Read Time / 2 Minutes
Theme / Wise Living
Giving gifts at Christmas is rooted in the Wise Men bringing gifts to baby Jesus, but the enduring practice has evolved throughout history to the practice we have today. Have we lost sight of the original motive for giving gifts at Christmas? Let’s take a short walk down history lane.
In the 4th century, Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra (modern day Turkey), became known for giving gifts in secret to the poor. He is reported to have given gold coins secretly to a family whose poverty was relegating three daughters to a life of shame, allowing the father to pay a dowry for each one of them.
During the Middle Ages, the legendary Saint Nicholas inspired the Dutch Sinterklaas Festival, which was held during the winter, and people were encouraged to give to the poor by placing coins in the shoes of the needy. (As Dutch people later moved to America, Sinterklaas personified became the inspiration for Santa Claus. Children in Holland today leave clogs or shoes out to be filled with presents by Sinterklaas on December 5th.)
Gift giving, as we know it today, was fostered with the publishing of Clement Clarke Moore’s poem “The Night Before Christmas” in 1823 and Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” in 1843. It is worth noting that after Dickens published his story, giving to the poor increased significantly in Britain.
There are other examples in history of giving gifts at Christmas, some related to pagan practices, but we are focusing on the examples above to challenge us to expand our concept of gift giving. In Matthew 2, we see that the Wise Men worshipped Jesus by bringing Him gifts. The question for us today then is “How can we worship Jesus with our gifts?” We worship Jesus today when we practice his Word. Proverbs 19:17 reads, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” We see this practice of generosity to the poor exemplified in history by Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas, and A Christmas Carol. Let us then consider how we can do likewise today.
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:35-37).
Doug Hanson, MBA
Wealth Advisor
208.697.3699
doug@christianwm.com
