Jeremiah 31:12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD--the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.
My wife Evelyn and I are not giving each other gifts for Christmas this year. We’d rather go out for coffees together, have lunch a couple of times, and maybe go to the movies rather than spending money on something that we don’t need or will hardly ever use. We’ve also decided to use our ‘giftless’ money to help some people in developing countries by sponsoring their businesses.
We do this through KIVA, a wonderful organization that seeks to help people around the world by giving them grants and loans to sustain their farms, stores, and businesses. Thus far, we’ve managed to help about 20 people in Africa, Asia, as well as both central and South America. It’s a gift that keeps on giving and I highly recommend it to everyone who reads this (you can find more information about KIVA on their website at http://www.kiva.org.
As I was watching CNN this morning, I saw a segment about the new Advent Conspiracy movement that is spreading throughout the Christian world. I went to the website a couple of days ago via a Scottish blogger. The purpose of this movement is to draw people’s attention to the fact that we spend about 450 billion dollars each year which 45 times the amount it would cost to give everybody in the world clean drinking water. Half of the people who die in developing countries every year are killed by drinking contaminated water.
The Advent Conspiracy group is trying to encourage Christians to review what they spend at Christmas. Instead of fretting and stressing out over Christmas presents, they want us to emphasize a real Christmas presence in our lives. If we cut down on our frivolous spending and became more intentional with our charitable giving, we could do a lot to solve the world’s problems. The old prophecy of Jeremiah would be fulfilled for the world could become a well-watered garden with people who sorrow no more.
You can watch the Advent Conspiracy’s thought provoking video at the following YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVqqj1v-ZBU. You can also see it on their website at www.adventconspiracy.org.
Believe me, once you watch it, Christmas will never be the same again…in fact, it will become a lot better!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, keep us from being overwhelmed by stress and fatigue this Christmas. Help us to focus upon a real Christian presence in the world, instead of worrying about Christmas presents. In Your Holy Name, we pray for change. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment