“Your naivety demeans you… Love and justice are not the primal forces of our world, sir. Gold is the primal force of our world. You believers say that is all about ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, but there is only profit and loss. You believe in laws, but there are only ledgers. Would that it were otherwise, Inspector Reid. Would that it were.” – Mr. Sacks, Ripper Street, season 2 episode 5, BBC.

The quote above is from I show I can’t recommend, but it makes a valid point in this scene. The way of the world revolves primarily around wealth and all the things it can buy. Don’t believe me? Think about the things you give for Christmas. Think about what’s on your list. Better yet, let’s have a look at the first Christmas. When the Magi finally found the home where Joseph and Mary were living with their newborn child “they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh” (Matthew 2.11). These gifts were commonly given to kings to honor them. According to Biblical Archaeology Review magazine these same gifts were among those given by King Seleucus II Callinicus to the god Apollo at the temple in Miletus in 243 BC, (“Why Did the Magi Bring Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh?” December 1, 2016). Then there is Isaiah 60.6:

Camel caravans will cover your roads, young camels from Midian and Ephah. All the merchants of Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing praises to the Lord. (Emphasis mine.)

The exact setting of this prophecy is uncertain, but relates to a time when the Israelites have returned from exile, taken back the promised land and enjoyed leadership and prosperity in the world. It is a prophetic promise from God. Since God promises these gifts to Israel, wealth on its own isn’t an evil.

I’m not going to go as far as to say that God wants this for all his children, he doesn’t. Some experience poverty so that God may be more greatly glorified, or because they would not be able (or have proven to not have been able) to handle it without compromise, or so that others may learn to be generous, and many other reasons. Poverty, too, can be a blessing. Jesus himself said it is difficult for a wealthy man to be saved (Luke 18.24) Why is it difficult? Because it is what the world sees as the first of the greatest desires. We learn to love money, or the things it can buy, instead of God. Remember what Mr. Sacks said? “There is only profit and loss,” no laws only ledgers. With money, all the other vices come easier.

Rather than looking to what your neighbors are giving their kids, or even what the Magi gave the Christ-child, perhaps we should look at what God gave the world for Christmas: Love. God’s love is different from the love we normally think about. In human terms, we often give love to receive love. God gave his love to us without any expectation that we would love him back. What does God get out of this? Nothing, really, except that he is being true to his own nature. For us it is a little different. When we love someone without expecting anything in return, our satisfaction comes from behaving rightly rather than from how they behave towards us.

Okay, so maybe this isn’t the Christmas gift you want to give since it cannot be wrapped and put under the tree. It is an excellent gift to give all year long, however, and Christmas is a great time of year to think about how to show love to others. In doing so you work against the world system of ledgers and for the Kingdom of God.