When Marge Williams first met the man she would eventually marry, she was a little bit in awe of his brilliance and his knowledge about the Bible. But what convinced her he was the right man for her was the same thing that she remembers most about him more than three decades after his death: his humility. He was not a man who put first his own ambitions or notions of what status he needed to achieve in the church.

After believing he was destined to be a seminary professor, he remained open to the guidance of the Spirit when, as a chaplain in the Burma/China/India theater in World War II, he discovered the vitality of the pastoral role he found as a military chaplain. When he became a pastor, he started out in small churches and would have been happy staying in small churches all his life. “‘I can’t tell you how many times people would tell him, ‘You shouldn’t be stuck in a little church like this,’” Marge remembers. “‘A good preacher like you should be in a big thousand-member church somewhere.’ Jim would just laugh. He felt that being where you were needed was the most important thing.”

Well, as it turned out, Jim did end up serving in a thousand-member church for a few years, and both of them loved the church. But in later years, he felt his health didn’t permit him to serve that church as well as it deserved, and he felt that a small church that was thinking about closing its doors needed him more. So at a point where many pastors—most families, really—are looking at the career step that will set them up well for retirement, they took a significant cut in salary to move to that little church. As a result, First Presbyterian Church of Ouray continues to thrive today.

The faith that making such a choice would not deprive his family in their retirement is largely a matter of faith in a God of abundance and generosity. Supporting that faith has long been part of the calling of the church as well. For seventy years, that support has been a central role of the Christmas Joy Offering. Presbyterians believe that when people make decisions to follow their calling, they should feel free to do so without concern for their retirement or that of their families, and so we have always given generously to help those whose path may not have accrued the pension benefits they will need in their retirement. More recently, recognizing that many families may encounter unexpected needs well before retirement, we have expanded the role of the offering to meet such needs as well. Half of the offering helps support students as they try to discern their gifts and the best way to use those gifts in their community, so it seems appropriate that the other half keep faith with those whose call leads them to communities that can’t offer a secure future. Like Jim and Marge Williams, our gifts go where they are needed.

Today as we receive the Christmas Joy Offering, let us give generously in joy that we have the opportunity to play a vital role throughout the lives of those who seek to use their gifts as God calls them.

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