Use Your Gifts For Good

Tamsin Llwyd Graves | 12:32, 8th December 2012

When it comes to presents at Christmas time, we are all familiar with the stress of finding the right gift, at the right price, for the right person!  And we are equally familiar with the disappointment of receiving duplicates (more calendars than places to put them), unwanted socks (the wrong colour, wrong length, or wrong thickness), or unexpected presents (oh no, didn’t get them anything and it’s too late to get them something now!).

Gift giving at Christmas time is rightly an expression of love, and a reflection of God’s greatest gift to us in the Lord Jesus.  But, just as the gift of the Gospel is for the world, so our Christmas giving can enrich others on a global level. Luke 3:10-11 and Matthew 25:34-46 are Biblical imperatives for us to use our gifts for good.

Here are some practical ways of doing this:

1. When folks ask what you want for Christmas, why not ask for a Toybox gift?

For instance, buying a ‘Playtime’ for £7.50 will give street children in South America the chance to play. You will receive a photo greeting card to inspire you to pray for the work.

2. Give a handcrafted gift which helps the producers find a way out of poverty.

A leaf-shaped trivet made from 3 different laminated woods can be bought online for £10. It will help support the livelihoods of workers of Asha Handicrafts in India.

3. Share the Christmas story with children in Bethlehem.

For £8, the Bible Society’s Bethlehem Appeal can provide an illustrated Children’s Bible to be given to a child at a Christmas Bible holiday camp. Or a gift of £45 will pay for a child to attend a holiday Bible camp for a week. 

Many Christians in the UK are seeking, particularly at Christmas time, to rebalance excessive consumption with exuberant gratitude, overindulgence with generosity, inward-looking feasting with outward-looking sharing.

There is even a UK-based organization called Casc set up to encourage a practical and reflective redefinition of Christmas. Here is an example of one of their e-cards, available for folk to send, for an alternative take on Christmas.

Have a great gift-gifting Advent and Christmas!