The joy of giving

At Christmas we give. We give what we can to help make others’ Christmases brighter.

That “what we can” is important. We can feel trapped between expectations, whether our own or others’, and the hard reality that there are limits to our time, money and energy. We mere human beings have only so much to give–but then again, we have so much to give!

We can freely, lovingly, graciously give abundant gifts of service and presence and delight and support. And that kind of giving feels really good, doesn’t it? And why is that?

We are created in the image of God, who freely creates, lovingly redeems, and graciously sanctifies. Giving according to that divine model–within our human limits–is our true joy.

I remember as I child that after Christmas I would ask my friends: “Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?” And now I ask, “Did you give everything you wanted for Christmas?”

This message is excerpted from “Did you Give Everything you Wanted for Christmas?” by Audrey Novak Riley from the December 29, 2019, blog of the Women of the ELCA.

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