The True Joy Of Christmas

Shawn: Today we’re sharing an inspiring story about a family who anonymously blessed another family in need. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Let’s get some perspective. Welcome back to another episode of Christian Financial Perspectives. My name’s Shawn Peters. I’m joined as always by my co-host Bob Barber, and today we’re bringing you our Christmas episode as we’re about one week from Christmas at the time that this should be published. Today we’re going to be covering the Christmas story. We’re going to be covering some Christmas traditions, and we’re going to be sharing with you a story about a family helping another family in need. Bob, would you like to say anything to get us started? Bob: I am ready, Shawn. I’ve worked on this quite a bit and I think it’s going to be a very inspirational, especially this Christmas story that you’re going to hear and it just warmed my heart when I found this online. It totally warmed my heart to think, okay, this is something I can do and any of us can do. So please stay tuned today. You’re going to be blessed by today’s episode. But yeah, first we’re going to get into the Christmas story. I think it’s always good to go to God’s word. Shawn: We’re going to get started with Luke 2:1-20, “In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Corinius was governor of Syria.” Thanks for letting me read this part, Bob. Bob: That’s why I’ll let you read it, Shawn. Shawn: “And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloth and placed him in a manger because there was no guest room available for them, and there were shepherds living out on the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shown around them and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be assigned to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger.’” Bob: “Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly hosts appeared with the angel praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherd said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told about this child and all who had heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they’d been told.” There is the Christmas story wrapped up all for you. Shawn: Alright, well that about does it for us. So y’all have a wonderful rest of the day. Bob: Shawn. So some Christmas traditions I thought would be interesting. You know how Texan I am? I don’t know if you know it, but those who listen, my family goes back in Texas over 190 years. Way, way back. Shawn: You look good for 190. Bob: Yeah, I do, don’t I. I’m starting to get a lot of gray and losing some hair, too. My great great grandfather, my third great grandfather was the founder of Travis County, which is Austin, Texas. So back then, that was the farthest west that the pioneers had gone. And around Christmas time, of course, they all lived miles apart. So on Christmas time, they would go out on their front porches to wish each other Merry Christmas. Well, they couldn’t yell it. They were too far away. So guess what they did? They took a shotgun and blast three times, boom, boom, boom. You could hear the shotgun blast going off in the distance all over and around. And that’s how they would say Merry Christmas to each other. Actually, this story is in Texas monthly and Austin Statesman. This is an old famous story. Shawn: The Hornsby story. Bob: The Hornsby story that was on my mom’s side. Other family traditions that we have here in Texas, by the way, I know a lot of you are not in Texas that watch us, is that we always have tamales, chili, and beans on Christmas Eve with pecan pie for dessert, and it’s followed by lots of heartburn that night. Shawn: Heartburn is optional, though. Bob: Yeah, well it usually comes with it, though. Shawn: Depending on your age and whether or not you were medicated before you started eating. Bob: That’s a tradition, especially in South Texas and everybody eats those tamales. So I thought this would be a great, this is a great story of a prosperous family. We’re going to call it the prosperous family and the family in need. But I think you’ll be blessed by this story. Alright. Shawn: Alright, here we go. What a year we, this prosperous family, had – a new baby daughter, a job promotion, and a brand new home were among the many blessings they had received and they were grateful. They wanted only a few gifts for Christmas because their cups were running over, but they knew their children still anticipated Christmas morning and gifts from Santa. So one evening this prosperous family talked about doing something special for another family in need at Christmas. Their oldest son said, “Why don’t we find a family who needs help and give them presents?” Soon, the prosperous family was excited about the idea, so they decided to do their project anonymously. They didn’t know exactly how they would find a needy “Christmas family”, but they wanted to help. The next morning, the dad made calls to friends who might know of a family in need. That evening at dinner, dad described the family in need he had found. Bob: The father of the family in need was a carpenter and out of work. They had three children, one the same age as the prosperous family’s new baby. But their baby had been undergoing many tests as doctors tried to determine why she wasn’t developing properly. Because the family in need had no insurance for all the medical costs, their savings were completely depleted with nothing to spend for Christmas. The next morning while the prosperous family was talking about the family in need, the daughter asked if they could give the family in need some of their clothes. They all agreed that her idea was good. So the children of the prosperous family ran to their bedrooms and began sorting out the clothes they had outgrown. But dad just knew that clothes were not enough. Shawn: The following day, Prosperous Dad asked the children if they would like to buy a special present for each member of the Christmas family. Excitement rained as they departed for an evening of holiday shopping. The following week, the prosperous family was ready to deliver gifts, clothing, and oranges to their Christmas family in need. But before they left, Prosperous Dad gathered the children and said, “It sure is great to see all of you so excited to share your Christmas. Do you realize that by buying these gifts and this food you are giving up part of your own Christmas?” The prosperous children had not thought of their project that way before. Their eyes widen as Prosperous Dad took out a crisp, hundred dollar bill. Bob: “Do you think we should give this money to the family in need so that they can buy other things they need?” Prosperous Dad asked. “And do you understand that your Christmas will be very small this year because we’re sharing it with a family in need?” Each of the prosperous children grinned and nodded and they tucked the money into a Christmas card and addressed the envelope to “our friends”. They were off to deliver Christmas to their special family. Shawn: They parked the car up the street from the family in need and planned their delivery strategy. Within seconds, it was all accomplished. They pulled the car away just as the door opened. That evening, as the prosperous family prayed, their minds and hearts were truly one. Christmas was still a week away, but they felt they had just had theirs. The next morning the phone rang from a friend of Prosperous Dad, “Just thought you’d like to know about a family that received a special gift last night,” His friend said. “They had been wondering if they should use their last $20 to tithe to the local church or if they should keep it because Christmas was nearing and they had no more money. They decided to pay their tithe. Last night, their doorbell rang and when the husband opened the door, he found packages of clothes, gifts, and food. The next morning they noticed a white envelope on the floor and when they opened it, a $100 bill fell out. They know it was the Lord’s way of blessing them for being obedient and their hearts are full of gratitude. Bob: Wow, that’s it. What a story. Isn’t that a beautiful story? And it’s a great story for all of us that have been prosperous this year to look for someone in need. There are many, many people in need in our country, in your own town. So I would encourage you to take this story and make something of it and let’s all make a difference this Christmas. One of the things that we did just a few weeks ago is we talked about some unique giving ideas. So if this is not something you can do, there’s also many unique giving ideas like opening a donor advised fund this year and funding that. But go back to episode 184 that we made at the end of November, and that will give you many ideas that you can come up with. Shawn: That’s right. If maybe you don’t see yourself as prosperous or having as much to give as this family from the story, you can always give time and effort. I know every year our church for Thanksgiving and Christmas looks for ways that we can give food and meet the needs of people in the community. So talk to your church. Ask around. I’m sure there are places that maybe need extra volunteers, need people to help deliver. It doesn’t have to be money if you don’t necessarily have a lot of money, but we all have time that we can give. Bob: And Shawn, I wanted to do one last thing this time, too. It’s a little bit different for us. Okay? First, we want to wish all of our listeners a Merry Christmas next week and hope it’s filled with the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But I also want to say that there may be some of you that are listening that don’t know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, and we want you to know that he is there for you. And all you got to do is reach up to him and say, Lord, I’ve made a mess of my own life. I’d like to make you my personal Lord and Savior, and we would love to be there with you. If you would like somebody to pray with you, please give us a call or text us and we’ll be glad to reach out. But there’s so much with the walk with the Lord, and I just can’t imagine not being a Christian myself. Shawn: Well, we’re here, whether it’s financial or spiritual, give us a call. [DISCLOSURES] * Investment advisory services offered through Christian Investment Advisors Inc dba Christian Financial Advisors®, a registered investment advisor registered with the SEC. Registration as an investment advisor does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Comments from today’s show are for informational purposes only and not to be considered investment advice or recommendations to buy or sell any company that may have been mentioned or discussed. The opinions expressed are solely those of the hosts, Bob Barber and Shawn Peters, and their guests. Bob and Shawn do not provide tax advice and encourage you to seek guidance from a tax professional. While Christian Financial Advisors® believes the information to be accurate and reliable, we do not claim or have responsibility for its completeness, accuracy, or reliability.