Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
Hey, it's Christmas Eve Eve and if you're anything like me you're feeling a little under the pump right now with food prep, buying presents and perhaps bracing yourself for the rallies to arrive. So let me be really quick.
For most of us, Christmas is mainly about family and gifts and rest, and maybe even the annual pop into church for some festive spirituality. For Christians, of course, it's all of that set in a more ponderous key.
Remembering the extreme generosity of the Creator in entering flesh and blood history in the birth, life, teaching, death, resurrection of Jesus and everything that flows from that. And it's this note of generosity that I want to quickly ponder with about 36 hours to go before Chrissy. Music
I don't know about you, but I look at the presents I've bought this year for my three children in particular, and I'm feeling grateful that I can spoil my kids. That I'm in a situation where with a bit of thought and saving, Buff and I can surprise our family with generosity. And I find this to be a reminder of the capacity I have to be generous to others as well.
to those who aren't my kids, but who need my generosity more than they do. I'm not talking about feeling guilty over spending so much on food, drink and presents as if I shouldn't be generous to my own children so I can be generous to the poor. I'm talking about the way generosity to myself and family works.
Reminds me of the bounty, to use an old word, bounty that God has given me. I mean, if I can cope with spending $200 on AirPods, happy Christmas, Sophie, that means I could probably give something like that to World Vision as well.
If I can spend $300 on the Christmas street party we threw at our place yesterday, which was a blast by the way, that probably means I can also spend something like that on a gift to International Justice Mission, the guys we spoke to in episode 8. Buff and I have tried over the years, and I mean tried, not always succeed,
To live by the principle of being generous to others roughly in proportion to the luxuries we shower on ourselves. It's something you find in the New Testament in Paul's words to Timothy. They're quite striking. He writes, challenge those who are rich in the present world to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
Challenge them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. That's 1 Timothy 6, by the way. It's not about going without the things God gives us for our enjoyment. We don't deprive ourselves or the family of good things, of fun things.
It's about letting the joy of spending on ourselves remind me just how wealthy I am, relatively speaking, and how with a little bit of effort, I could probably extend the gift giving a little wider. Now, if you're stuck for thinking, you know, who might really benefit from your generosity, let me just say that Buff and I have six organizations that we particularly love.
Don't worry, this isn't an ad. Those organizations don't even know I'm talking about them. Buff and I try to be generous to these six charities. And then that allows us, in good conscience, not to give to all those other random street approaches or phone calls from other charities. I've already mentioned World Vision. They're the biggest. And so they get a lot done for the poor through YourDollar.
Then there's International Justice Mission, of course. They're doing extraordinary work to rescue modern sex slaves and slave workers. The others we particularly love might not be everyone's cup of tea, but they include Anglican Aid, for example, which is the international aid program of Sydney Anglicans, my mob.
Open Doors is also brilliant. They're focused on assisting hundreds of thousands of Christians in dire persecution around the world. And reading about Open Doors' work is always a good reminder to me to avoid using the word persecution for anything the church faces in the Western world.
Tier Fund is also wonderful. They're like World Vision in their focus on the poor and vulnerable, but they're much smaller and more nimble. And a little more of your dollar goes directly to those in need. And finally, I've got to give a shout out to Save the Children.
Oh my lord, I went with these guys earlier in the year to the Syrian border in Jordan and Lebanon to see their work among refugee children. And I was blown away by the professionalism and the impact. All these organisations are easy to find online if you want to send them a quick credit card Christmas present. Anyway, I'll shut up now.
Christmas is about the extreme generosity of God toward us. And that's why, historically speaking, we give gifts at this time of year. I hope you get some great gifts this year.
And if you're more alone than you'd like to be this Christmas, I do hope you find connections in your local community. And don't forget, there's always church. If you haven't been for a while, give them a second look. They're usually at their best, certainly their most cheerful at this time of the year. Music
We're busy here at Undeceptions working on the new season. I've already got some cracking interviews with guests you're not going to want to miss. More about that soon. I'll be popping into your feed with these minis, or singles as we call them, a few times more in the coming weeks, with random thoughts from around the world and short grabs from forthcoming interviews. And then we'll be back into full swing before you know it.
I'm John Dixon with an Undeceptions single. Merry Christmas. See ya. Hey, and we've got a little extra something under the Undeceptions tree. One of our listeners a couple of months ago suggested we create a ringtone out of the Undeceptions theme tune. So we did. And you can find it at Undeceptions.com. Download and enjoy.