The Bible Speaks to You December 18, 1965 Issue

[The above is an abbreviated, postproduction text of the program released for broadcast the week of December 10–16 in the radio series, "The Bible Speaks to You." Heard internationally over more than 950 stations, the weekly programs are prepared and produced by the Christian Science Committee on Publication, 107 Falmouth Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.]

RADIO PROGRAM No. 193 - What Shall I Give?

[The following is the first of three programs on Christmas.]

QUESTIONER: I'm sure many people feel that Christmas-giving becomes a bigger business, and some may feel a bigger problem, with each passing year. Some people wonder if it's even possible to remember what Christmas really is all about. How do you view this in Christian Science?

SPEAKER: Well, what is "giving" really? I'm sure we both would agree that the true idea in giving is not simply buying presents for everyone on a Christmas list. There's much more to giving than that. Let's consider the familiar saying, "It's not the gift, but the thought behind it." If there's no real love behind giving, the gift is simply a crass substitute for love, a shallow act, aimed, perhaps, at gaining favor or avoiding criticism. Haven't you felt that you were forced to give a gift. on occasion, when you didn't really want to?

QUESTIONER: True, but it was the custom and expected.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

WORDS OF CURRENT INTEREST