On this third Sunday of Advent, the premise we’re embracing is “Give More.” Of course, this may seem a bit contradictory after last week’s premise, “Spend Less.” I’m sure some of you are already wondering, “So how am I supposed to spend less but, at the same time, give more? The two just don’t add up.”
The answer comes in the recognition that giving and spending are not one in the same—and many times, they’re not even remotely similar. Second Corinthians 9:7 tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. But being a cheerful giver doesn’t necessarily mean being a big spender. By modern standards, Jesus Christ didn’t have a dime to his name. He didn’t own a house, and he didn’t own land or livestock; he didn’t even have a donkey of his own to ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Yet he gave freely of the one thing he could give: himself—and through the giving of himself, he transformed the world around him. The sick were healed, the hungry were fed, and ultimately, through his death, the sins of the world were wiped away. This isn’t to say we can do everything he did; we know we can’t. But God gives us all unique abilities, and we can turn these abilities into gifts by giving of ourselves to others.
This year, consider how we can truly give ourselves to others through spending our time on them. Sure, everyone likes to receive tangible gifts at Christmas, and there’s nothing wrong with spending some money to let people know how much they mean to us. But the most memorable gift that we can give to another is our time and attention, used in a way that will specifically meet that person’s needs. Christ modeled this for us in his interactions with those around him, and all we need to do is follow his lead.
Father, we want to be a blessing to the people in our lives just as Jesus was a blessing to the people in his life. Help us to follow in his footsteps and give of ourselves as he gave of himself. Show us the needs of others and how we can use our abilities to love and minister to them through our time and attention. May our words and actions this Christmas season reflect the glory of your gift to us—Jesus Christ. Amen.
[This post was written a few years ago for use during our church’s Advent wreath lighting, to accompany the Advent Conspiracy sermon series. More information on the Advent Conspiracy can be found HERE.]
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