Give More
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Introduction:
In December of 2018, this story appeared in the Washington Post:
Owen Williams and his wife befriended their elderly neighbor when they moved into their home three years ago. When their daughter, Cadi, came along two years ago, neighbor Ken Watson became a grandfather figure. Then Watson died in October.
A few days later Watson’s daughter stopped by the Williams home with a large bag. She was dropping off 14 wrapped Christmas presents her father had bought and wrapped for Cadi. Williams said, “I kept reaching into the bag and pulling out more presents. You could have knocked me over with a feather. It was quite something.”
Williams wrote: “My wife and I think it might make a nice Christmas tradition to give our daughter ‘a present from Ken’ for the next 14 years. The issue is, we really have to open them now. Nobody wants to give a fifteen-year-old Duplo!”
He posted on Twitter to spread some Christmas spirit. He also wrote that he wasn’t sure whether he should open them, check them out and then re-wrap them for Cadi. In that way she would have an age-appropriate one each year. To date, more than 67,000 people have weighed in about the gifts on Williams’ Twitter poll, many saying that Watson’s kindness brought them to tears.
Williams said the majority voted for a “lucky dip,” meaning not opening them ahead of time, just giving Cadi one mystery present a year. He said, “It will be a lovely way to remember Ken. We’ll do one a year for the next 14 years. If she opens a box of Legos when she’s 16 then so be it.”
He said he was struck by how many people have responded by saying their neighbors are virtual strangers to them. “The thing that stands out to me is how few people know their neighbors,” Williams said. “People are saying, ‘That’s so lovely. I don’t even know my neighbors.’ . . . This Christmas, take your neighbors … a small gift, a token. Just say, ‘Hi.’ You can open a new world like we did.”
Today we continue in our series, Simple Christmas, with a message titled, “Give More.” At Christmas time it is easy to receive. We love getting things. Can you recall the best Christmas present you ever received? Mine happen to be from my wife. Tell of Wedding Ring and Bible. We can recall our favorite gift we have received, but can you recall the best gift you have ever given? In today’s passage we are going to meet a women who gave a valuable gift just to show her devotion to Jesus.
Read: Mark 14:1-9
Explanation:
This story appears just before Judas betrays Jesus. I feel this story is placed here that we may see the two very stark differences on how Jesus is responded to. This story also appears in Matthew 26:6-13 and John 12:1-8. In John the woman is identified as Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus. John also identifies the disciple who had the issue with everything as none other than Judas. Mary comes to Jesus with an alabaster flask of nard. Nard was a a very expensive ointment made from the Spikenard plant found in India. It could only be found in the high altitudes of the Himalayas from India stretching to western Asia. It took some work getting to the plant. So you can see why Judas freaks out a bit. It was a very expensive ointment.
Mary takes this flask and breaks it and begins to anoint Jesus with the expensive ointment. Judas gets indignant. This word means a feeling of righteous anger. He begins to grumble that it could have been sold for 300 denarii and used to help the poor. It could have produced 300 days wages! The is almost an entire year’s worth of wages! Jesus quickly brings correction to the disciples telling them to leave her alone. He tells them that the poor will always be among them and so they will have opportunity to take care of them. He tells them, alluding to what was about to happen on the cross, that He will not always be there.
As Mary is doing this, she is showing her devotion and love for Him. She is also doing something that she may not understand. She is actually preparing His body for burial. Most of the time these expensive perfumes and ointments were used on a corpse before they were buried. He then tells them that wherever in the world the gospel is spread, what she has done will be told in memory of her.
So what is something that we can learn from this? There are so any things here that we could learn. However, I think that as we get into the Christmas season we can learn to...
Application:
Give More of Yourself
Give More of Yourself
To give more of yourself is both your resources and you. Notice in this passage that Mary gave expensive ointment and she gave devotion and love. Mary could have taken this ointment and sold it and kept the money for herself, yet here we find her at the feet of the Savior.
C.S. Lewis said, “Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours.” - C.S. Lewis. In reality, our lives, our possessions, our resources, they are God’s. We are given what we have to be good stewards. It matters how we use our time. It matters how we use our resources. It matters how we use our hearts. Are you willing to give up things for the sake of helping others? Are you willing to invest in the lives of others by being intentional in their lives? Are you willing to come along side the hurting and just love them?
1 Timothy 6:17-19 says,
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
There was once a time where the needy went to the Church for help. Why? Because that is where the generous were. God’s people willingly taking care of the widows and the orphans. God’s people loving on others in the name of Jesus. God’s people investing in the lives of others in order to help them get on their feet. It is easy to be like Judas and make excuses as to how we can help others, but it is better to be like Mary and just do it.
The people of God, you and me, need to know that what God has blessed us with is meant to bless others. If you have been blessed by someone, pay it forward and bless someone else. Take the example of Mary and give your best. This is how you honor the Lord.
Conclusion: I think that giving is such an amazing feeling. I get joy out of giving to others. I love to see the eyes of those I get to help bless. I also love to help others and see how their lives change for the better. Christmas is a great time to start the practice of giving if you have not been one to do so. Christmas at its core is all about giving. God giving His son, the son giving us life! I challenge you to give more this Christmas and beyond. Humble yourself at the feet of Jesus and give Him all that you are, and go and bless others because of all that He has given you. Go and bless others.
Pray