Boxing Day
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23).
Many parents have the experience of buying expensive presents and witnessing their children finding great pleasure playing with the boxes they came in! The origins of Boxing Day are uncertain. But it does have an association with thinking about and acting kindly towards those who are less fortunate. Alms boxes were placed in churches to collect funds for the poor. At Christmas, special collections were held and distributed to those in need. It is thought this may be one of the origins of Boxing Day. But today it has become renowned for shopping. It’s about getting, not giving.
In the time leading up to Christmas we attended three graveside services. I had responsibility for two of these. At each one the weather was very cold and wet, but this did not dampen the sense of hope and joy we felt in our hearts. All of the friends we laid to rest had come to the end of long and fruitful lives. It was a joy to reflect on the way they had followed the Lord, and each occasion re-affirmed the hope we have in the Lord Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life.
The day before Christmas Eve we were at the graveside of a dear sister, Esther, who died aged 90. We read about the fruit of the Spirit. I traced these lovely features of the fruit of the Spirit in our sister’s life. We thought about how she had come to know the love of God at an early age and knew, with the apostle Paul, the Son of God “who loved me and gave Himself for me”. Esther had sought to express this love towards others throughout her life. She also had a life-long experience of the joy and peace that has its source in the love of God. Esther was known as a peaceful person who lived a simple, contented and godly life. As her life ebbed away, she went peacefully into the Lord’s presence. One of her carers told us that she had been present at the death of over fifty people, and Esther’s death was one of the most peaceful she had known.
Our sister was long-suffering with the people she knew and the circumstances she faced. Friends and neighbours remembered her kindness and goodness. She was not self-righteous, but knew the goodness of God in her own heart and that goodness overflowed as she endeavoured to be a blessing to others. Esther was faithful in her relationships, her generosity, and above all in her prayerfulness. Several tributes referred to her as a “prayer warrior”. She also demonstrated one of the most challenging features of the fruit of the Spirit – self-control. Esther lived an orderly, disciplined and caring life.
I deliberately left “gentleness” until the end. Esther was a gentle person marked by the meekness of Christ, who described Himself as being gentle and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29). Her gentleness was a strength that came from the Saviour. She responded to the Lord’s invitation to come to Him as her Saviour and Lord. Esther learned through the experiences of her life what it meant to find rest in the Lord. We will miss Esther. To many, she came from a past age, but she brought the charm of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control and gentleness into our lives.
On Christmas day God gave His Son. Boxing Day was intended to be a time of giving, in response to what we have received. Esther left us with an example of what it means to devote our lives to the One who gave Himself for us. It is an example of a faith we should follow (Hebrews 13:7).
