Christmas Gifts

There was a beautiful story on the radio the other day. It seems that a baby boy was found in the manger in a nativity scene outside a church in Germany. The baby had a message attached to him that his mother was unable to care for him because her circumstances were so poor. She wished that someone would give her son the love and care she was not able to provide. She made it clear that she did not want to give her child away, but felt she had no options. She assumed the safest place to put her child was in the manger, with a prayer that someone would find him quickly.

Someone did find him and the youth minister and young people at the church took the baby under their care. They worked to provide the child with formula, diapers, and other supplies necessary to keep him fed and clothed. The rest of the church took donations for food, housing, and whatever the mother needed. They sent a letter to her when they discovered who she was and told her that her child was safe, and that they were sorry they hadn't known about her - but now that they did, she was part of them and they would walk through her difficult times with her.

This is truly a church. They didn't wonder whether a committee should be formed, whether the mother was conning them, lazy, or whether what they provided would be used for a purpose other than what they had intended. That didn't matter. What mattered to them was that a person had a need and they decided to fill that need.

It's Christmas and we hear several times throughout a day that there are those with needs and our help is needed. Those same people, with the same needs, are here all year 'round. Why is it so important that we help at Christmas? I believe that God wants us to help all year long. However, Christmas is a special time. Even with all the complaints of commercialism, there is still the small voice reminding us that we should give. We have a reminder that God has given to us. We have his Son.