christmas

Yesterday, tucked inside a Christmas card I received, was an envelope with another card.

The sender remembered a Christmas, now years in the past, when I'd turned up at their door with money to help them out when they'd been in pretty dire straits.

I'd forgotten, I have to say, until this card came in: then I remembered well enough.

"I'm now in a position to pass that gift on," the person wrote: "you will no doubt be able to pass it on, too. It's a true saying - 'the Lord will provide.'"

Inside was a sizeable sum of cash.

I was humbled to think the person had always remembered that act of simple kindness long ago: and had always acknowledged the kind, providing hand of God in the gift that had been given.

And humbled as well to see how the person was keen to ensure that someone else would also now see God at work providing for their needs.

As for me, I felt a bit like piggy in the middle. It's quite a responsibility to pass such sums of money on.

It happens quite a bit. From time to time all sorts of folk very quietly slip an envelope into my hands requesting that I pass it on to someone in some need.

How do you go about a thing like that? Well, you don't get taught these things at college, that's for sure. At least, you weren't when I was there.

I adopt a very straightforward approach and presume two basic things -

1) there's an immediate need which the Lord means the gift to address. I'm not going to be waiting days. It's been given now, so the need must also be now.

2) the Lord will direct me clearly to the person whose needs should be met by this gift.

That's how it usually works. Today was no different. I was asking the Lord this morning to show me how to use this gift of money: who was the person in need.

And out of the blue, there's someone who pitches up at the halls today. Unexpected in many ways. Unplanned.

And as I'm seeing and speaking today with this person, it's soon as plain as daylight that the Lord is saying simply - 'this is who it's for.'

I know the person's situation and I know there'll be a need. I know just what a gift like this will mean.

So as the person's leaving I slipped a little envelope into the person's hand: I think the person thought it was a Christmas card, or something of that sort. I said this was a little gift from God.

A little bit later I got a text message on my phone - "I am too overcome to phone you: your kindness is too much. We thank you so, so much. Your friendship means so much."

The person is seeing the hand of God at work. The Lord providing for all their needs in very striking ways.

I wrote to the person who'd sent the money and quoted what Paul once said.

"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

"Because of the service by which you prove yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.

"And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift."

Paul was talking about Jesus there. God's 'indescribable gift'.

In fact, he's really on about Christmas, and the way in which Christmas gets into our lives and our lives become the story of Christmas all over again.

"You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."

Christmas. Jesus enriching us beyond all measure.

Christmas isn't a story. It's a way of life.

A way of life which builds an amazing momentum of grace and changes people's lives.

I love Christmas!