Gift

By Joseph Sunde

Amid the array of quaint and compelling Christmas tales, O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” continues to endure as a uniquely captivating portrait of the power of sacrificial love.

This post originally appeared at the Denver Institute for Faith and Work, where Mr. Haanen is executive director. It is republished here with permission.

By Jeff Haanen

Occasionally you meet somebody that shines with such virtue that you are, perhaps for the first time, made aware of your own poverty of spirit.

By Joseph Sunde

When we think about “stewardship,” our minds will often revert to the material and predictable. We think about money or the allocation of resources. We think about growing crops or creating goods or financial investment and generosity.

By Joseph Sunde

“God somehow demands of us so much more than this transactional nature. It is really about the gift that we’ve been given, and the only response we can give back is with extravagance, with gratuitous beauty.” –Makoto Fujimura

We live in a society that has grown increasingly transactional in its way of thinking. Everything we spend or steward — our time, money, relationships — must secure a personal reward or return.

By Jordan Ballor

By Joseph Sunde

We live amid unprecedented economic prosperity, and with the promise of globalization and the continued expansion of opportunity and exchange, such prosperity is bound to grow.

By Jordan Ballor

By Joseph Sunde

With our newfound economic prosperity and the political liberalization of the West, we have transitioned into an era of hyper consumerism and choice. This brings all sorts of blessings, to be sure. But it also brings plenty of risks.

Whether we’re drawn by raw materialism or a more basic idolatry of choice, such distortions will be sure to diminish or disintegrate plenty, but the deleterious effects on the family and children are particularly pronounced.

By Joseph Sunde

Throughout the Christmas season, we are routinely reminded of our “gift nature,” whether through the transfer of presents, the confluence of family gatherings, the creative flurry of plays and performances, or, most importantly, the central story of the One who gives it all meaning in the first place.