One of the most overlooked Christian holidays is St
Stephen’s Day, or as you have more commonly heard it called, Boxing Day. In
fact, this holiday is so overlooked, you might not even know that it is a
Christian holiday. We generally just think about it as the day after Christmas,
an extra public holiday set aside for many to rest their belt loops. A lot of
people see it as the day to spend the Christmas money they just got. How
strange is that, on a day after excess gifts and excess food, many Aussies want
to actually go back to the shopping malls and spend. Aren’t we a strange bunch.
But I thought as this is such an overlooked holiday
that I would investigate it. I have always wondered what boxing day was, and
why we celebrate it. There are many parts of our culture that we just follow
along with, without understanding why. So, I thought we could examine some of
the historical significance of this day, and why we celebrate it.
As someone with a historically inquisitive mind, I
love to look into the reasons why we do things. I also ask myself ‘why’. Some
people just accept that the way things are is the way things are. I am not like
that. I love to investigate how and why we get to where we are as a society. I
think examining why we do things is important, because we might find paths
where we have deviated and also the right path to getting back on track. So, I
decided to take a brief look at why we celebrate boxing day, and what this
means for us today.
I think that there is some interesting information for
us, whichever aspect of our tradition we seek to emphasize on this holiday. So,
what I want to do is look at those traditions and reflect on them biblically. As
a Baptist, I do not believe that tradition is supreme. But nothing is more
Baptist than questioning traditions in light of the Bible. I think these
ancient traditions can give us interesting insight into how Christians of the
past applied God’s teaching on charity and generosity.
Just a note to start. None of the
history I could find was certain where boxing day came from. It is more likely
that it is a few different traditions melded in together. So, this piece is not
meant to be the final word on what boxing day is. One of the beauties of man-made
traditions is that we are free in how we approach them, and free to reapply
them as we see fit, as long as it is in line with the word of God of course.
My purpose here is to reflect on various aspects of
our Christian history and what they tell us about who we are in Christ, and how
we can learn from that history. Australia is predominately an Anglo-Saxon land.
Of course, over time many other people have been welcomed here. But
historically we have gained our Christian traditions, our legal traditions and
our over arching identity from the British Isles. There have been many efforts
to try and change this in the last few decades, but the Bible teaches us
something very important about a nation’s history: if you forget who you are
and where you come from, you can be easily manipulated towards evil.
It is not a coincidence that this reinterpreting of
who we are has coincided with the greatest moral decline in our history. This
is exactly what you should expect when a Christian nation forgets its identity.
Even the convicts had a truer sense of God and his ways, than many modern
Australians. Which is a remarkably frightening thought.
But this is important: reflecting on our history is
only valuable as long as it directs us towards the truth of who we are and who
we are meant to be. The reason why I love history so much is because it tells
the story of humanity, and the story of humanity is filled with the work of
God.
The Bible isn’t filled with mostly history for no
reason – God designed the first real history book and inspired the Jewish
people to write it, creating, in my view, the most important genre because it
tells us something very important about where we came from, why we came from
such a place, how we got to where we are, and all this sums up to who we are
and what we should be. So, let’s examine this history of boxing day in light of
God’s word.
Tradition One – The Poor Box.
The first tradition associated with Boxing Day is an
old Christian tradition of taking a collection over Christmas time in the alms
box in the church,
“It is
sometimes believed to be in reference to the alms box placed in the narthex of
Christian churches to collect donations for the poor. The tradition may come
from a custom in the late Roman/ early Christian era wherein alms boxes placed
in churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint
Stephen, which, in the Western Christian Churches, falls on the same day as
Boxing Day, the second day of Christmastide. On this day, it is customary in
some localities for the alms boxes to be opened and distributed to the poor.”[1]
This is a wonderful tradition. A godly tradition that
is reminiscent of many practices in Scripture.
2 Corinthians 8:12-15 says, that we should share our
abundance with those who have less,
“12 For if
the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not
according to what he does not have. 13 For I do not mean that others should be
eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at
the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply
your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, “Whoever gathered
much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”
God wants us to celebrate festivals out of our excess.
Paul also wants us to give out of our excess to those with less, and then if we
are ever in need he wants it go the other way. Paul also wants those who give
in such a situation to do so willingly and with a cheerful heart, 2 Corinthians
9:6-8,
“6 The point
is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows
bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided
in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful
giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all
sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
It is vitally important that we in the Church remember
to consider those who have less than us. And cheerfully seek to bless them.
This is an ancient principle in the Bible and is
mentioned in many ways throughout it. A good example is Isaiah 58, which tells
us how God wants us to live. Isaiah 58:10-11, says,
“10 if you
pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then
shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. 11 And
the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a
spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”
This world is unfair, and because of that some people
have so much more than others. Even though they may have just been born into
better circumstances and did not necessarily earn it. It is not wrong to be
blessed by the hard work of your parents, or your grandparents, indeed this is
how things should work. I love it when I hear about how parents or grandparents
help out their young adults to get established in life, it is awesome.
The church of God is supposed to be a place where some
of that unfairness is corrected. Where some balance is restored. Where the
plenty of some is shared with the few without. The Bible is not concerned with
making everyone equal in possessions. But it is concerned with making sure some
people are not too self-indulgent and others are not too poor. When the
extremes become too disconnected, this is when nations fall apart.
So, we can see that this first tradition is entirely
good and thoroughly biblical. We should continue to do this kind of work of
sharing with those in need. However you can find a way to bless the poor.
Tradition Two – the Wealthy blessing their
servants with Christmas boxes.
We can trace this custom back into the 17th
century.
“In Britain,
it was a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money
or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout
the year. This is mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diary entry for 19 December 1663.
This custom is linked to an older British tradition where the servants of the
wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families since they would have
had to serve their masters on Christmas Day. The employers would give each
servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses, and sometimes leftover
food. Until the late 20th century there continued to be a tradition among many
in the UK to give a Christmas gift, usually cash, to vendors, although not on
Boxing Day as many would not work on that day.”[2]
I remember when I worked at the Petfood factory when I
was younger, we would get a Christmas box at the end of the year. It generally
included certain bonuses, Christmas food, and coupons. I miss getting those big
giant hams. Our bosses would often throw a big party for us as well, usually at
a fancy resort.
This is a very biblical tradition as well, being
generous with those who are under your authority, or with those who have worked
for you in the year. The Proverbs is filled with encouragements to bless those
with less, who serve you:
Proverbs
14:21 – “Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is
generous to the poor.”
Proverbs
14:31 – “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous
to the needy honors him.”
Proverbs
19:17 – “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay
him for his deed.”
We are not all rich in Australian terms, but in
historical terms we are incredibly wealthy. We have leisure time, excess food,
excess comfort, excess enjoyment. We have a lot, we have many different people
who earn less than us, whom we can choose to bless from our abundance.
I like the idea of bosses going out of their way to
bless their workers, and masters their servants, because we have a Lord such as
this,
“5 Have this
mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in
the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but
emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of
men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:5-8).
We serve a Lord who saw it fit to serve his servants,
us, in the most important way that we needed him to. That is exactly what
Christmas is about: the servant king came in the form a little child, so he
could live the life we could not live and then die on our behalf. He used his
power to save us.
God gives power that the strong may protect the weak.
God gives riches that the wealthy may be generous to poor. The Lord gave
himself that he may save us all. The strongest in existence used his strength
to help us all, who, when it comes to sin, are remarkably weak. Nothing is more
important than the service that the Lord has given us, and I think this
tradition of the powerful blessing those whom they can on boxing day is also a
wonderful tradition.
Tradition Three
But I think the most important tradition of boxing
day, is the most ancient, the celebration of the life and death of St Stephen: “Saint
Stephen's Day is the second day of Christmastide and is celebrated in honour of
one of the first Christian martyrs, Saint Stephen, who was stoned to death in
36 AD.”
As Baptists we generally don’t tend to refer to saints
as a special class of people, because all who are sanctified by Christ are
saints. Though we do recognize that God has worked more powerfully through some
individuals than through others. Stephen was a remarkable man in the Bible. He
is generally known as the first martyr. But that is not all he should be known
for. Stephen was also dedicated to helping the poor. Acts 6:1-6 tells us,
“6 Now in
these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the
Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected
in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the
disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word
of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven
men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to
this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the
word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose
Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus,
and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6
These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on
them.”
Stephen was chosen along with six other men to take
care of the poor widows. Obviously, he and these other men had shown distinction
in their service of the poor, and so were selected to head up this charitable
work. Notice, what sort of person does it take to help the poor, the needy, the
destitute? A man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. Such a man was
Stephen.
What I want to finish with though is Stephen’s speech.
Even though Stephen is recorded being given responsibility to look after the
poor widows in Scripture, the thing we most remember about him is his speech
and his martyrdom. This is some speech! Stephen was one of deacons chosen so
that the Apostles could focus on preaching. But note this: we have Stephen’s
sermon recorded in the Bible, alongside of Peter’s and Paul’s messages. That
say’s something about the quality of this sermon and its importance in the
Christian tradition. Let’s look at a few of his key points.
He begins by reminding the Jews where they come from. Acts
7:2-4,
“2 And
Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our
father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3 and said
to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that
I will show you.’ 4 Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived
in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land
in which you are now living.”
As we saw above, knowing our history, knowing our
origins, helps us to know our true identity. As Christians, this is really
important, knowing where we are from, and where we are now, should breed in us
gratitude. It is out of this gratitude that our generosity to those in need is fostered.
Because we know how desperately in need we were, before God saved us from
ourselves. Because we know that apart from God we have no good thing.
He then reminds them of how their ancestors often
turned away from God:
They betrayed Joseph, “9 And the patriarchs, jealous
of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him…”
They rejected Moses when he offered to try and help
them the first time,
“…27 But the
man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a
ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian
yesterday?’ 29 At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of
Midian, where he became the father of two sons…”
Even after he rescued them from Egypt they would not
listen to him,
“…38 This is
the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke
to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give
to us. 39 Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their
hearts they turned to Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go
before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not
know what has become of him…’ They chased after continually the false gods
Yahweh had saved them from, “43 You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of
your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship; and I will send you into
exile beyond Babylon…’”
Stephen is angry, it comes across in his message. He
reminds the Jews of their sinful origins in Mesopotamia (Babylon), and he
reminds them that like gravity they were drawn back to their sinful origins. When
he then tells the Israelites standing in front of him that they are just like
those who turned away from God, they prove him right by killing him, “58 Then
they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their
garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.”
Stephen’s speech pulls no punches. It is succinct and
powerful power. As a historian I also recognize that he is doing what
historians love to do: he is pointing his people back to their origins and
history and saying; learn from it. Learn from your history, learn from your
ancestors, your people. Don’t make the same mistakes they did!
I was a bit naïve when I was younger. I thought
history was one of the safest subjects, not being very controversial, and just
being very interesting. But if you take it seriously, it can get you killed.
The first martyr in the Church was a man who reminded God’s apostate people of
their true history, and how they were repeating it by rejecting Jesus, and they
killed him for it.
That is a big deal. Evil wants to suppress our
history, however it can, so we forget who we are and where we come from. This
is happening in our nation today. There are elements in our own society who
want us to forget our Anglo-Saxon and Christian origins as a nation, so that
they can form us in their own image.
Historically boxing day, at least partly, is supposed
to be a reminder to us of the character and quality of St Stephen, a man who
knew his origins, and knew the importance of trusting in Jesus. A man who was
willing to suffer to preach the message of the Bible.
I think there are a few key lessons we learn
from Stephen. He gave of himself to help the weak, and he challenged the
powerful who were corrupt. Who does that sound like? It sounds like Jesus.
Stephen shows he completely got what it meant to be a
Christian. To be Christian means to trust in Jesus, recognizing our desperate
spiritual poverty because of our sin and that only Jesus can save us.
To be a Christian also means to turn around and treat
those who are weaker than us the same way Jesus did, just like Stephen did, and
when necessary to stand up against the powerful who try to take advantage of
the weak.
But he also shows us that we should never forget who
we are and who we are supposed to be. Our ancestors often have something to
teach us, let’s remember as we move forward in the New Year, that we should not
reject our past, but learn from it, and grow in light of it. The Church is at
its best when it remembers its origins. We, as people, as Christians, are at
our best when we remember our origins. The Bible was written to force God’s
people to meditate on their origins and God’s mercy to them despite their
sinfulness, often. It was written and designed to help us never forget who we
are.
Let me encourage you today, if you are reading this
and have not yet trusted in Jesus, he made a way for your debt of sins to be
paid, your record of debt to be cancelled, if you would turn to him and trust
in him. For those of us who are Christians, let’s meditate on St Stephen, not
because it is a tradition, but because, out of all of the non-Apostles in the
Bible, the Spirit of God preserved this man’s sermon for us to read again and
again, to reflect on what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
