My soul glorifies the Lord
   and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
   from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their
   inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
   but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
   but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
   remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
   because he has come and has redeemed his people.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
   in the house of his servant David
as he said through his holy prophets of long ago,
salvation from our enemies
   and from the hand of all who hate us—
to show mercy to our fathers
   and to remember his holy covenant,
   the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
   and to enable us to serve him without fear
   in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

The mother of Jesus emphasizes what some would call "the social gospel":

He has brought down rulers from their thrones
   but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
   but has sent the rich away empty.

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
   because he has come and has redeemed his people.
[He will] . . . give his people the knowledge of salvation
   through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God. . . ."

1. Faith and works are inseparable.

Mary, probably a young teen at the angel's visit, certainly exhibited childlike faith. The angel announces "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus" (Luke 1:30-31).

This righteous Hebrew girls asks the obvious question, "How will this be . . . since I am a virgin?" (Luke 1:34). But even in this question, there is assurance it will happen. The only question is how? Most of us would have asked a lot more! Yet Mary responds, "I am the Lord's servant . . . May it be to me as you have said" (Luke 1:38).

Faith in action is also exhibited by Joseph who accepts the angel's explanation for his pregnant fiance'; by shepherds who believe the angels' message of "good news of great joy that will be for all people" and then leave their sheep to go search for "a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger;" by magi who discern that the star will lead them to the King of the Jews, and so begin a two-year trek to Jerusalem and back.

Christmas is about faith and works. James, the brother of Jesus, writes

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” (James 2:14-18 NLT).

Of the increase of his government and peace
   there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
   and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
   with justice and righteousness
   from that time on and forever (Isaiah 9:7).

Unfortunately, our devotion to Christmas often outshines our obedience to Christ Himself. Once the malls are decorated for the season and the sound of Salvation Army bells ring out, there is a sense of charity that blankets our world like new-fallen snow. People are friendlier with a "goodwill toward all people." Dysfunctional and broken families actually embrace under the mistletoe. Schools collect canned goods and we fill the red kettles with spare change for the less fortunate. But then the Christmas decorations are packed away for another year—and often along with them—the "goodwill."

But faith in Christ—not just in Christmas—is a year-round work! John Wesley, who is most famous for his "holiness" message, wrote that "the gospel is social." And with that conviction, Wesley petitioned parliament to abolish slavery, spoke out against child pornography, opened possibly the first people-owned "credit union," and preached against the wretched working conditions in England's sweat shops.

Working at a Crisis Pregnancy Center, volunteering at a rescue mission, mentoring prisoners, signing petitions and speaking out against an "exotic" bar at a zoning board meeting, visiting patients in the hospital, becoming a foster parent for abused children, or simply voting against a corrupt politician may be just as "spiritual" acts as sitting in Sunday school. (Actually these are much more spiritual acts than simply sitting in Sunday school!)

3. Faith and works are not optional.

The Christ of Christmas doesn't make combining faith and works a seasonal option.

Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?"

The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:34-40).

The next verse reveals the fate of those who do not care for those in need. "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'" (v. 41).

Evangelicals believe we are saved by faith alone. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). But, a careful reading of the teachings of Christ imply both faith and works are essential.

While we're feeling seasonably charitable, it's a good time to ask how can we put Christmas into action? By singing the two-part harmony of Mary and Zechariah—faith and works, righteousness and justice.

© 1996 James N. Watkins



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