Tuesday, 01 December 2009

• A Different Type of Giving

  Adam and Eve…
  
  We all know the story of Adam and Eve. God created the world, and everything you see, in six days. He gave us, humans, free-will, we could do whatever we wanted, but God specifically said not to eat from “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” What a long name for a tree. Couldn’t it be called the tree of Rocktitude or something simple like the party tree?
  
  So Adam and Eve are chilling on Earth, naming animals and stuff -- not a terribly hard gig -- but it wasn’t good enough for them. They were living and breathing God’s divine will, but it wasn’t good enough. The serpent promised Eve that she would be “like God.” She is promised something that can’t be completely fulfilled.
  
  Unfulfilled promises are the driving force of our culture. We are told if we have this one product, somehow our life could become complete. If we dress a certain way, or we act a certain way, maybe that boy or girl will like us, or maybe we will have more friends. If we had a new cell phone, people will think we’re cooler; heck, if we had a cell phone…
  
  It’s a lie. Fulfillment doesn’t come from things.
  
  Christmas is coming. There are things we all want; there are some books I would love, or a tattoo, or a new effects processor for my guitar, but these are all things I don’t need. I just want. It is so easy to get bogged down with all the extras during Christmas time. It’s like our focus has slowly shifted from a miraculous virgin birth to gift-giving.
  
  Why do we even celebrate Christmas? Is it a time to show “How much you care,” about someone with a new t-shirt or an I-Pod. What your parents get you for Christmas has no bearing on how much they love you. I remember one year, my parents forgot to wrap one of my presents. I thought they didn’t love me, which is completely ridiculous, but that’s how I felt.
  
  The very first year I could finally afford to get my family Christmas presents, I was so giddy. I finally felt connected with the “spirit of giving.” I felt more like an adult. I got my parents the first season of one of their favorite TV shows: 24. I got my oldest brother a portrait of Jim Morrison, my sister a pop-corn maker, and my little brother a video game. Of all those gifts, the only one that gets used is the picture of Jim Morrison, and it is just hanging on the wall. The greatest gifts I have ever bestowed upon someone weren’t from a store; they were the things I made.
  
  In art one year, I made a little yellow bowl. It somehow managed to be entered in the art show. I don’t know how, but I was so proud of that pot. I’m not really an artist. So when I was up at my Mom’s work one day, I noticed she had a lousy candy dish. It was this little broken plastic thing, and I was like here Mom, take this little bowl I made, and use it for your candy dish. It sat on her desk until she quit her job. For another art project, I decided to make a scratch of picture of Jim Morrison. I did a decent job on it, but I gave it to my older brother, and it hangs on his wall by the picture I bought for him. I bet if I asked him, the portrait I made for him meant something more to him.
  
  When we give to someone, it shouldn’t be about what we can give them that they would really like, but what can we give them that somehow reflects your relationship with them, or what they mean to you.
  
  In third world countries, they have no presents to give. How do you think they celebrate Christmas? Christmas is a time of worshiping fully the God who become a servant, one of us, to forgive our sins. This is the true heart of Christmas. Not gifts, and decorations and all the extra things, just pure worship. When we strip down Christmas to what it is, the miraculous virgin birth, we see that, at Christmas, God gives us a gift. It’s a purely relational gift. God becomes one of us, to be in a relationship with all of us.
  
  Just as God gave us a relational gift, we should try and do the same. The goal of all of this isn’t no-giving, but different-giving, the goal is to substitute consumerism for compassion. Where our money goes, so does our heart. In America, we spend about 450 billion dollars a year on Christmas. It would take about 10 billion dollars to provide clean water to the entire world. Our priorities are clearly off.
  
  A group of churches have banded together and created the Advent Conspiracy. They have dedicated themselves to; worshiping fully, spending less, giving more, and loving all. They have decided to replace the typical American consumerism this time of year with compassion. They created unique ways to give, and the money they save by not spending as much they give to clean water wells.
  
  So, if the goal is to give differently, how can we do this? The best way to give differently is to give someone a relational gift; it’s what God did for Christmas. We can give with a purpose, and with compassion, and give priceless gifts, to needs. You could write someone a song, poem, or story, paint them a picture, give them your time, name a star after them. Gifts that demonstrate that you care about them. You could give your Mom a back massage. Give a gift certificate to time with you; like an in-home movie night, do crafts together, or go on a photography trip. The idea is to give a gift that isn’t just a thing, but a memory. Pay for the gift with your heart, not your wallet.
  
  Just like when Eve was tempted with the fruit, that promise couldn’t be fulfilled, the promise that things will make yours and others lives better is a lie. So, this Christmas choose to make memories with you loved ones.
  
  What do you think about the "gift giving" holiday that Christmas has become? Will you change the way you give this holiday season?
  

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