Luke 15

Happy Boxing Day!

Posted on by Betsy

The day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day in the British Commonwealth. It is said to originate from two different sources. One legend says that Boxing Day was a day when the servants of Lords received a box of small gifts and Christmas dinner leftovers. They were given the day off to travel to their homes with said boxes. Another tradition suggests that it is a reference to the Feast of St. Stephen, whose feast day falls on December 26th. Stephen was one of the men selected in the Book of Acts to ensure that the distribution of alms was done equitably, including the Greek widows who were being neglected. On the Feast of St. Stephen, clergymen take the alms that were dropped in boxes at the church on Christmas Day and deliver them to the poor in the village.

In both cases, Boxing Day is a celebration of offering charity to the marginalized.

What a lovely reminder as we bridge Christmas and New Year’s Day. Those who have received much are invited to give much.

Luke 14 (The Message)

12-14 Then he turned to the host. “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be—and experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned! —at the resurrection of God’s people.”

In this parable, Jesus seems to speak right into the type of Christmas that many of us experienced. We gave to our friends. We supped with our family. We received riches. We offered things to people who are able to offer things back.

But the way to be a blessing on Boxing Day is to box something up and give it to someone who had a scant or non-existent Christmas.

Your community has homeless people living in it. Your community has families who rely on assistance to make the most meager ends meet. There is need where you live.

What will you do on this Boxing Day?

God calls us to share what we have. Dig deep. Open up your eyes, your heart, and your wallet. Christmastide has only just begun, and it is always better to give than to receive. And this kind of favor is returned at the resurrection. You get to be a blessing today, and you will be blessed by your giving. 

Happy Boxing Day! 

Better to Give by Becca Ziegler

Lost and Found

Posted on by Betsy

Many years ago, I encountered an angry woman and a chagrined man frantically searching for a lost item at a beach access. I was headed to the beach and they were leaving when apparently he threw her engagement ring to her as they were trudging over the dune, heavy laden with chairs, towels, etc. Well, as you can guess, she didn’t catch it and it landed somewhere in the sand.

It was their loud arguing that caught my attention as I crossed the road to the access. She was berating him for being stupid enough to toss the ring to her in the first place. He was countering with how clumsy she was to have not caught it. I was amazed at the entire scene. Not to take sides but come on! Who throws good jewelry at the beach? That’s just a disaster waiting to happen. And it did.

So, I put my stuff down and joined the search. As we sifted and dug, I told them that I was praying Luke 15 over them. They did not know the reference, so this gave me an opportunity to share this Scripture with them as we searched:

Luke 15 (The Message)

15 1-3 By this time a lot of men and women of questionable reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story.

4-7 “Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ Count on it—there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.

Jesus is terrifically concerned with lost things, especially lost souls. The Pharisees and religion scholars who believed that certain types of people don’t belong in church missed the point that Jesus took IN the sinners, ate with them, and treated them like old friends.

We must do likewise.

8-10 “Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she’ll call her friends and neighbors: ‘Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!’ Count on it—that’s the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God.”

After about ten more minutes of searching, I found the ring. The look of joy (her) and relief (him) on their faces was worth the effort and they walked across the dune holding hands. I was grateful for the strange opportunity to witness to my faith.

Are you lost today? Have you wandered away from God? Do you need a rescue?

Jesus is not only willing, but very able to come and find you. Look and see! Your deliverer comes.

Good Shepherd by Kitty Hawk United Methodist Church