Think about it '€” what will you give to Jesus?

Christmas time is a season of giving. I can still remember the first Christmas we spent in Wasilla. We had just moved into our first real house that previous spring, the details of which are yet another story, and were preparing to spend another Christmas with nine young children on the meagerness of a pastor’s salary, which just happened be limited to what I could earn outside the church. Be that as it may, I cannot remember the passing of a Christmas where not only did the children have gifts, but somehow my wife seemed to be able to turn nickels, dimes and quarters into some of the finest gifts those children had ever seen.

Though my wife never complained, and did her best to make the holidays festive, it would be an understatement to say that we still had needs. We had moved from Anchorage out of a mobile home into what then seemed like a 1,200-plus-square-foot mansion due to the sparseness of furnishings we had in tow. While I had plans to build bunk beds as soon as we could put the money together, life was one big camping trip for the children as they slept in sleeping bags on the floors of their rooms.

Unbeknownst to us at the time, such needs had not gone unnoticed. Though we had met the former owners of our house only once, having purchased it through a third party, God had laid it on their hearts to provide a gift that we would never forget. In what would be her last Christmas as cancer would take her home to glory by the next fall, this lady not only gave each of our children a suit of clothing for church and home-schooling material we are still using to this day, but also gave us the cash we needed so I could build those beds. I tell you, my family and I will remember her and her gift until the day we die.

While I am not going to condemn the gifts you buy and the money you spend this Christmas season, I will point out the gifts she gave to our children now over 10 years ago were centered around needs. When she called us to discuss her intentions, she did not ask us what games or toys our children wanted, but what did they need. When I was too overwhelmed to think of a response, she asked, “Do they have beds? Do they need church clothes?” The truth is that most gift giving anymore centers around what is wanted and will be forgotten when the mood changes rather than that which is necessary for life.

Let me here ask, “What will you give to Jesus?” The Bible says that Jesus will one day say to a certain group of people, “…as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” While it is a good thing to give to those who are less fortunate than yourself, it is to be noted here that Jesus doesn’t say “your neighbor” or “the less fortunate” but “my brethren.” While the context of this passage is the time of Jacob’s trouble, identifying his brethren as the Jewish people who suffered during that period, in our day Jesus’ brethren are those who have placed their faith and trust in him for the salvation of their souls. As such, my question is more toward those who call themselves Christians than do not.

While Christianity is under no obligation to feed the world, the Bible makes it plain that we do bear responsibility for our own. While I recognize that this is not always the case, in my experience those who have the least are the most generous.

If you are celebrating Jesus’ birthday this season, and it is customary to give a gift, and to give to one of the least of his brethren is to give unto him, I want to ask again, “What will you give to Jesus?”

Folks, I am not talking about giving to those who are lazy and will not work, those involved in deep sin, or those who only come to church looking for a hand-out, but those who have genuine needs that if you only opened your eyes you would see and could help alleviate their situation. Don’t just give your tithe and expect the church to do it, and don’t wait until someone else notices. And above all, don’t limit your generosity to just this time of the year.

Ron Hamman is pastor of Independent Baptist Church of Wasilla; contact him at 357-4229 or rghamman@mtaonline.net