The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
“At present we find ourselves in a world where, as a matter of fact, few people are rich and powerful, while many are poor and weak. Some who are well-off often have actively wronged their neighbors to get or keep their wealth; others wrong their neighbors by allowing them to suffer rather than share with them. There is an obvious inequality in the distribution of the goods needed for life, and much of the inequality is a reflection of injustice.”
Dallas Willard in The Spirit of the Disciplines (San Francisco: Harper, 1988) 197.
This Christmas eve I am giving thanks that God did not send help to a world filled with “obvious inequality” and injustice, He came. Tomorrow we celebrate the birth of Jesus, who set aside the riches of heaven to be born in the most humble of settings. While ministering, He never had a place to lay his head, and encouraged those who had more than what as needed for life to share with those who were destitute.
So how do we follow the Christ of Christmas in the face of so much brokenness in this world? As we trust and obey, we become like Jesus, who was full of grace and truth. God transforms us. He turns our greed and unkindness to generosity and lovingkindness. Our living and giving does not win us favor with God. That favor was won for us by Christ on the cross. Our sharing, our love for our neighbors, spreads God’s love in the world.
God’s plan for addressing the “obvious inequality” and injustice in the world is us. We have not been overcome by evil but we overcome it with good. This Christmas, enjoy and share gifts with those you love, for sure, but don’t stop there. Enjoy and share the spiritual blessings we have in Christ. Jesus is the greatest Christmas gift ever because the life He offers is the one thing that the whole world needs.