Childhood memories of Christmas growing up are memories mostly of what we did together as a family. As I grew up our family never had a great deal of money to spare, but we always had sufficient presents to be happy on Christmas morning. Yet, I can only remember one or two presents from all those years.
What I remember most is how we celebrated the holidays. Christmas was a solid week of visiting with friends and extended family members – cousins and uncles and aunts. It was the socializing, the fellowship and the fun that made Christmas so special.
Returning to the story of Joseph and Mary at the temple, where they will encounter Simeon, we see some interesting information about them. Why were Joseph and Mary in Jerusalem? What was their offering?
While this passage may seem to be one of those sections that is entirely utilitarian – something helpful and necessary for the story, but really not interesting – it actually tells us something of Jesus and his family. The sacrifice they brought to the temple consists of two birds, either doves or pigeons.
In Leviticus 12 we see regulations for this sacrifice. What is required is the offering of a lamb; however, Leviticus 12:8 states that if a person “cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons.” With that we are to understand that Joseph and Mary could not afford a lamb. In other words, they were among the working poor of the land.
Why is this important? I believe it is important to be reminded that Jesus was a gift not just to wealthy and powerful people, but was born among the poor of Israel. The celebration of his birth does not require that a great deal of money be spent. Rather, we should rebel against the temptations of over-spending and worship God with our hearts and not our wallets.
DAILY CHALLENGE: Can you reduce the amount of money you spend on Christmas gifts this year? A good goal may be to lower your spending by 25%.
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