“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:1-4
“Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) is celebrated in many countries around the world and is also called the Day of Goodwill, St. Stephen’s Day, the Day of the Wren, and even the second Christmas Day. Like many holidays, it is deteriorating into a shopping spree with Boxing Day sales for stores to clear their inventory. But it used to be a day for people to gather with their friends and family after Christmas and celebrate the season together. Some believe it begins with masters allowing their servants to return home after Christmas carrying boxes of food and Christmas bonuses for their family. Some countries will have special sport competitions (college basketball, European football, prize fights) on this day each year. Many families have begun their own traditions for using this day to be a blessing to others who are less fortunate. After all the Christmas wrapping paper is put away, and the tree looks bare with unwrapped presents, consider for a moment how good God has been to you and your family. Remember the gifts God has given to us are not meant to be hoarded but to be shared with others around us.”
Tom Blackaby and Rick Osborne in Experiencing God at Home Day by Day: A Family Devotional (Nashville: B & H Publishing, 2013) 336.
Special thoughts to friends around the world celebrating Boxing Day at various sporting events. My mind goes to my Aussie mates cheering on their cricket team as it battles England at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) for a test match that starts today. It will be far less eventful here in our home, though we plan to pay games like Ticket to Ride which take us on adventures around the world.
The roots for Boxing Day can be traced back as far as the Middle Ages when the alms boxes in the back of churches were opened and distributed to the poor. In like fashion, Blackaby and Osborne wisely suggest that each of us counts our material blessings on this day and shares them. Jesus urges us to do this and instructed us to do it secretly. Don’t succumb to inactivity! Count your blessings, ask God where to deliver your surplus, and share secretly!
God is watching what we will do more intently than fans of cricket matches or football games. Happy Boxing Day! Bless others today.