The Christian Act of Giving at Christmas

About this time every year, millions of Americans are moved by the needs of a hungry child, the desperation of an urban family, the loneliness of a courageous soldier, the helplessness of a teenaged drug addict, or any other of the ills that are presented with great skill at Christmastime.



People will give billions of dollars this month to the charities that reach out and help. These organizations, churches, and individuals are serving the needs of people year-round . Many of us notice them only this time of year and non-profit groups often receive up to half of their annual funding during the month of December.



Philanthropy to help meet the needs of others without expectation of personal gain or recognition emerged from the Judeo-Christian tradition, and giving fulfills the distinctive Christian concept of agape.



This was noticed as early as 361, when Emperor Julian commented on Christians caring for Christian and pagan alike: “The Galileans support not only their own poor, but ours as well.”



Christians give out of gratitude to God for all He has done for them, which engenders both imitation of God’s generosity and an obligation to help others. This is not to say that non-Christians do not give to help others, but the societal understanding that it is good and worthy to help people in need beyond your own clan, and to do so without expectation of return, is drawn directly from the teaching of Jesus and is part of the Christian contribution to western civilization.



Giving at Christmas is also the best repudiation of the dominance of money and consumerism during this season. “There is only one act par excellence which profanes money by going directly against the law of money, an act for which money is not made. This act is giving.” (Jacques Ellul, Money and Power).



The charities will do all they can to keep their financial needs before you this time of year, but that’s as it should be. Put a few extra dollars in The Salvation Army kettle this Christmas. Write a larger check to your local church. Help the feeding center down the street. Maybe even help a struggling family anonymously this year. There is no better way to enrich the holiday and to honor the one whose birth we celebrate.

--James Jewell