Saturday, January 30, 2016
Swaziland Relief 10th summer team
Hello everyone.
Today marked a milestone in the work of Swaziland Relief. We held an introductory meeting for the 2016 Swaziland Relief summer team. This year is a milestone because it markes the 10th summer team.
Please pray for Swazi people as even now they are facing a severe drought that is crippling their agriculture and cattle herds. I also ask that you begin to pray for the members of this year's team.
Thanks and God bless you!
Sunday, January 10, 2016
The Imbalance of Giving
Following Christmas this year I got to thinking a great deal about the magi, those "wise men from the east" who visited Jesus bearing gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense, as told in Matthew 2:1-12.
Here's why:
My nephew bought his mom a very expensive present this year for Christmas, on his own initiative, and with his own money which he had been saving to purchase a gaming console. It was an extravagant gift, but I did not try to dissuade him. I knew my sister was buying him a pretty extravagant gift as well. Also, someone who learned about his gift to his mom bought him the gaming console anonymously. It was sitting under the tree when my extended family gathered for Christmas dinner. (Dear sister and nephew, if you are reading this hoping to find out who is responsible for buying the PS4, my answer is the same as it was on Christmas: Santa Claus!)
The whole situation has made me think about extravagant gifts. And also the inherent imbalance of giving.
If one person transfers money to another person in exchange for goods, that is a purchase.
If one person transfers money to another person in exchange for services, that is a wage.
If two people exchange goods or services of equal value, that is a trade.
If one person receives goods or services from another where some recompense is expected in the future, that is a debt.
In each of these cases, some kind of balance exists or is expected.
But giving is inherently imbalanced. A gift is some good or service transferred from one person to another without the expectation of recompense.
Going back to the story of the wise men, you can see the connection. They entered the house where Jesus was with his mother, and presented them with costly gifts. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It must have been staggering for Mary; the gifts of the magi constituted more wealth than she had ever seen before. Certainly she could not hope to balance the gift.
How do we respond when we receive extravagant gifts? I think there are two reactions that are common, quite understandable, and nevertheless wrong.
One reaction is to refuse the gift. "Oh, I can't accept that!" "You really shouldn't have."
A second reaction is to look to create balance. This is especially so when someone has done something for you, like help you move. (I've had lots of people tell me that they "owe me one" after I have helped them move. Some of my friends owe me two. I probably won't ever collect. But I am not looking to. There's an imbalance of giving when helping people move.)
Of course, there is a twist to the story of the magi and the imbalance of their giving. Although they could not possibly understand it at the time, they were laying treasure before the King of the universe! The extravagance of their gifts pale in comparison to the gift of God that is salvation through Christ (Ephesians 2:8).
Many people refuse this gift. It seems too extravagant. They either believe they do not need it or do not deserve it (in the second case, they are correct, but "deserving" has nothing to do with receiving a gift! "Deserve" is a term related to balancing the books.)
And certainly we know we can never repay it. The grace of God is the ultimate gift, and the ultimate example of the imbalance of giving.
There's only one proper response to an extravagant gift. It should be received with thankfulness, and the recipient should owe nothing except to love (Romans 13:8).
That reminds me of a song, so I will leave you with this:
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