Max Lucado must have been thinking about me when he sent this email out. Enjoy!!


A Message From Max
Christmas blessings, Friends!

If we don’t watch out, the holidays can stir the Scrooge within us. We make lists of what we want, drop hints about what we want, tell Santa what we want. This season of economic stress can make us even more tight-fisted and hard hearted. So how can we un-Scrooge our Christmas? Simple: let’s continue the great Christmas giveaway. By seeing Christmas, not as the time to receive, but as the time to give. Let’s imitate the stargazers, the mysterious magi, who went great lengths to give great gifts.

Why does scripture showcase their story? Part of the reason is Herod. If the New Testament has a Scrooge, it is the jealous King of Israel. When he heard that the wise men were in search of a king, he grew suspicious and angry, ordering the slaughter of every child under the age of two.

And the stargazing Savior-seekers? We don’t know much about these men. We don’t know their country of origin or their nationality. We don’t know the size of their caravan. The crèche on the front lawn suggests a trio of magi. But we aren’t given a number. The stargazing element surprises us, as does the fact that these are Gentile astronomers seeking a Jewish Messiah. A curious assortment on a curious journey.

…the wise men went their way. Once again the star appeared to them, guiding them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house where the child and his mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:9-11 NLT)

They made no requests. No favors. No petitions. The wise men wanted only one thing: the privilege of giving gifts to Jesus. What a contrast: hard-hearted Herod on one side, the gift-giving wise men on the other. We’d like to be numbered among the wise and generous, wouldn’t we?

Here are three ways to un-Scrooge your Christmas:
1. Help a needy person in a foreign country. The wise men did. They issued international aid to a peasant family. We can do the same.

2. Extend a hand to the needy in your area. In Bexar County, where I live, 1 in 4 children suffer from food insecurity. That is to say, they aren’t sure about their next meal. Chances are, there are needy in your area as well.

3. Assist a struggling family in your neighborhood. Don’t think for a minute that your neighborhood has no families in trouble. People who have never faced depletions are doing so. People are upside-down in their mortgages, concerned about their careers, anxious about their fixed incomes. You can’t solve their problems but you can be a kind neighbor. You can bake some cookies, bring some groceries…you can be the presence of Christ in your neighborhood.

May you experience the joy of Jesus this Christmas!

Max

P.S. And if you’re able to remember UpWords Ministries in your 2009 year-end giving, we’d be very grateful. Your help enables us to provide, via radio and internet, spiritual encouragement to millions each year. Donate here.