Week Two
December 10, 2021
Cheerful Giving and Receiving
Amos 8:4-12 and 2 Corinthians 9:1-15
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15
Has shopping for Christmas presents ever felt more like a grudging obligation than a joy? I have to confess that most years at least some of my gift-giving feels compulsory rather than cheerful.
I admire my few, brave, counter-cultural friends who refuse to participate in gift exchanges at Christmas. I wish I would follow their example of rejecting the idolatry of consumerism and commercialism that conscripts so many of us into buying and material junk as a token of love. Yet, I can hardly imagine opting out of the custom.
This lesson from Amos reminds me that greed is a human tendency with serious consequences. Ideally, the practice of gift giving could be a rehearsal for generous sharing — the opposite of greed. In the 2 Corinthians passage we read about one community’s outpouring of love to support another community. When love flows between those who can give to those who are in need, the Commonwealth of God is manifest in visible, tangible ways.
I am intrigued by the line in verse 15 about God’s gift that is indescribable, inexpressible, unspeakable. Can we say anything at all about that gift? Perhaps we come closest to experiencing that gift through the wonder and hope that stems from the miraculous power that can free us from greed. The insatiable, acquisitive drive in me is a cruel master. It is a miracle when I am freed from grasping in order to appreciate and share with others instead of wanting more for myself.
May your giving and receiving be filled with potent cheerfulness this Christmas.
Dr. Kathleen D. McCallie
Associate Professor of Ministerial Leadership and Ethics
and Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
