And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in clothes, and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. – Luke 2:7
A scarcity mindset has overwhelmed both the Church and our community in these days of the economic crunch. At every turn people are pulling back on their spirit of generosity. Donations are down slightly, as I write, for Presbyterians Sharing. But at Presbyterian World Service and Development the downturn in donations is critical. We may not be able to fulfil our commitments to overseas partners in coming years if donations do not pick up before the end of 2009. I suspect the very same may be true in many local Presbyterian congregations. It is as if the doors of our hearts are slamming shut as we seek to guard our own security at the expense of the needs of our neighbours, as they call out for help at our very doorways.
Our response seems to echo that of the innkeeper on that first Christ-mas Eve. His life was filled with all the demands laid on him by the tax-burdened visitors flooding into Bethlehem. He believed that his resources were taxed to the limit. He had no more space to spare. A scarcity mindset had overwhelmed him and his spirit of generosity was paralyzed. He did not believe he could give any more. There was no more room in his inn! Nothing could change his mindset. Even the arrival at his doorway of the holy family, about to give birth to the Kings of kings and Lord of lords, could not stir him out of his mindset of scarcity. What a tragic shame for him! But not for God!
God, the Heavenly Father, was in a hugely generous mood that night, ready to share His very Son with the world of humanity. If a scarcity-minded innkeeper did not want to be a recipient of the Father’s generosity, then He would look elsewhere. If the innkeeper’s heart was closed both to giving and to receiving, then the Father would find others more open to His approach. And He would find them on hillsides around Bethlehem tending their sheep while angels sang a heavenly chorus. And He would find them atop camels crossing long dusty roads coming from the East to the place where the Christ Child lay. And He would find them in a sparse little manger in the person of a young mother named Mary and her betrothed husband, Joseph.
The writer of the gospel of John captured it perfectly, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:11-12)
We may live in a time of economic uncertainty and our bank balances and stock portfolios may not be what they were, but none of this should be the cause for a scarcity mindset to overwhelm us. As Canadians we are still among the most affluent in the world with plenty of room to open our hearts to the needs of our neighbours. As Christians we are blessed beyond measure with the good news that we are loved and the whole of creation with us. We are loved by God whose desire is to give and give and give, without limit. We are blessed by our Father in heaven who does not even have the word “scarcity” in His vocabulary. And, we are called to be His children. There is room in His heart for us. What a priceless gift indeed!
May you know that gift this Christmas and forevermore.
