Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan—The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:1-2
“According to Isaiah, the people who sinned sat in the shadow of death. [Isaiah 9:2] For these a light arose, not by the merits of their virtues, but by the grace of God…No man can say that he can acquire more by his own efforts than what is granted him by the generosity of God.”
Ambrose of Milan (337-397) excerpt from his treatise, On Paradise 5.29 (307).
About 700 years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Isaiah writes these words. The land in view is Galilee. It is filled with gloom and covered in the darkness and distress of sin. Yet Isaiah has hope as someday in the future, in an obscure, off-the-beaten-path place beyond the Jordan, a great light would dawn. The great light in view is Jesus, the Christ of Christmas, born in the tiny town of Bethlehem.
Ambrose, approximately 1,000 years later, reminds God’s people that this light arose not because anyone deserved it, but by the grace of God. The gift of Jesus to a world filled with gloom and deep darkness is God’s greatest act of generosity. How his listeners (and that includes us) receive this light—God’s greatest gift—shapes everything in our lives, including our generosity.
If today we believe we have received this gift by our own efforts, we will likewise give to others only rooted in merit, that is, to those we deem “deserving” of aid. We must not go there. In antiquity such giving was called “philanthropy” which is why you will never ever hear me talk about Christian giving with that term!
Alternatively, if we come to realize that a light arose to us not by our merit but by the grace of God, this biblical idea shapes our living and our giving. We become more gracious and generous people. It is fitting that the New Testament writers abandon the worldly language of “philanthropy’ and describe giving as a “grace” for us to grow in as well.
My Christmas prayer for myself, my family, and each of you, now that the waiting of Advent is over and Christ is here is this: May our giving reflect God’s giving in a world filled with gloom and darkness, so that His light, grace, and love shine through us until He calls us home or until His second Advent.
Happy Christmas everyone!