“...they joined together in a "holy experiment" wherein for one year they would put the money they would have spent on each other toward Kingdom work.”
It was one of those workshops you took because you had to pick one, but frankly, I didn't really expect to get much out of it. Presented by a father & son preaching team that I had never heard of, the title was, "What I Wish I'd Been Told/What I Have Learned." It turned out to be my best take-away from this year's Eastern Christian Convention in Hershey. I found the father, Jim Walker, from Clarence, NY, to be especially poignant. I was riveted as this humble servant shared deep, heartfelt blunders & missteps & learnings. His undimmed passion for the kingdom of God, even at his advanced age, convicted me of my all too tolerable mediocrity.
One of the things he said he'd do differently, was he would buy far fewer Christmas gifts. He shared that in the 1990's, an article in US News & World Report changed the way his family does Christmas now.
The article was on the richest people in America, & included in a side-bar was a "Rich Test". If you answered "Yes" to any of the questions, it meant you were in the top 10% of everyone who has ever lived in the world. The questions were:
Upon reflection, Jim & the nine adults who comprise his immediate family agreed that they were all, indeed, very, very rich. And that the Bible's commands to the rich were actually aimed right at them. He walked us through that eye-opening moment:
"I have more than I need. How did that happen? Have I misappropriated finances that God entrusted to me to advance His kingdom? Yes."
They concluded from the teachings of Jesus & the example of the early church that God intended their possessions & assets to be marshaled more for the spread of the Gospel than for their own enjoyment. So they joined together in a "holy experiment" wherein for one year they would put the money they would have spent on each other toward Kingdom work. That first year they gave $2000 to send a missionary back to India. The next year they paid the airfare for four men in the Dominican Republic to fly to Panama to study at an evangelism institute. Then they sent a son to South America on a mission trip. And put a roof on a Bible school dorm in Panama, & sent a daughter on a mission trip to Haiti. And on. And on. And on.
Don't get me wrong: they're not a bunch of self-righteous Scrooges trying to ruin Christmas for everyone by being more spiritual. Not even close. They do give gifts to each other, but with some qualifiers: You can give something you already own, or you can make it by hand, or if you're really a deadbeat you can spend a maximum of $10!
My guess is that the Walker family of New York probably enjoys Christmas to a depth rarely experienced by most. In honor of the birth of the King, they re-invest in the King's Kingdom. That just makes sense to me. I wish I'd been told that earlier, because compared to billions of people on this planet, I & all my family members are rich. Very, very rich.
Jim Dewar is "Preaching Guy" at Grace Community Christian Church in Frederick MD. He is also an undescribable friend to Grant and other small furry animals.