Heart to Heart: Giving Good Gifts

We talk a lot in Christian circles about the commercialization of Christmas and the damage it has done. You’ll get no argument from me on the subject. Christmas decorations go up at the same time as pumpkins these days; it’s one big hodgepodge of fake spider webs, hayrides, turkeys and reindeer.

Unfortunately, gift giving has gotten caught up in the commercial mix and come out with a bit of a black eye, but the truth is that gifts, in and of themselves, are good, and gift giving, starting all the way back with the wise men, is a legitimate expression of devotion. It’s a great feeling to know you’ve given a gift that pleases and touches the receiver, that communicates the message you wanted, or helps in a way that is meaningful.

...your gifts introduce the men, women and children coming through our doors to the true joy of Christmas...

Here at Union Gospel Mission, we see some of the most amazing gifts imaginable – everything from the contents of a child’s piggy bank to a classic Corvette. Consider these two gifts that were personally delivered just days apart:

An older woman walked in the back door of the Mission kitchen carrying two plastic grocery sacks full of plums – Italian plums, she emphasized. She had picked them off her tree shortly before driving to the Mission and wanted the chef to know that they were sweet, ripe and ready to eat. She just knew the men would love them.

The other gift was from a woman who had stayed at Anna Ogden Hall as a child. She had accepted Jesus as her Savior there, so when she came into possession of a treasure – an old Martin Luther translation of the Bible – she wanted it to go to us.

UGM simply would not exist without your gifts. It takes approximately $18,000 a day to operate four shelters, serve more than 900 meals a day, give shelter to 320 people a night, maintain a camp for at-risk youth, provide long-term addiction recovery and counseling, operate three medical clinics, prepare and connect people with meaningful work and supportive mentors… The list goes on, but ultimately, your gifts introduce the men, women and children coming through our doors to the true joy of Christmas, that of knowing and experiencing God. He became man, lived a holy life and died in our place because He loves us. His payment sets us free from our pasts and all that would condemn us.

As a result of this newfound relationship with Him, deep wounds are healed, lives are made whole and families (like the ones in the cover story) are restored.

Your gifts – to people you don’t even know – truly do keep on giving. Thank you and Merry Christmas!