Last week (12/4/94), we held a charity concert for the third annual “Basket of Love” outreach. The Basket of Love is a Christmas gift sent to disadvantaged women and children, as well as to sick neighbors. This movement began from a desire to share even a small measure of God’s love with them.

The “needy neighbor” is not simply someone who lacks money or suffers from illness. Even among those who possess more than they can manage, and among those who are healthy, we can find many who are truly in need. On the other hand, among those who appear poor or sick in the eyes of the world, we sometimes discover people overflowing with the treasures of heaven—whose lives are renewed like youth and who walk the path of eternal life with vigor. Remembering St. Augustine’s declaration, “No matter where you wander—east, west, north, or south—there is no true peace until you rest in the arms of Jesus Christ,” we realize that anyone who does not know Christ inevitably becomes a needy soul.

When I was a child, on a cold night just before Christmas, I lived in Sindang-dong, an area crowded with makeshift shacks where refugees in Seoul had gathered. In the heart of a child growing up there, there was little room for anything but darkness and despair about the future. My father, in his early fifties, was suffering from severe tuberculosis. Though everyone else rejoiced and hurried about preparing for Christmas the next day, our family—six siblings sharing a single room, barely enough space to sleep around one blanket—had no reason to feel joy. Yet in my young heart, I fell asleep full of hope that Santa Claus would come during the night and leave a big present by my pillow.

Then, half-asleep, I heard the neighbor’s dog barking loudly and someone calling my older sister’s name from outside. Our whole family woke up in surprise and rushed out, but no one was there. Instead, a large sack of white flour sat at our doorstep with a Christmas card. It was enough flour to feed our entire family well for quite some time.

Since then, every year as Christmas approaches, I have never forgotten the sound of that distant voice and the sight of that large sack of flour. Knowing that someone remembered us, loved us, and cared for us gave me tremendous courage. If there is any seed most precious in this world, it must be the seed of love. A seed of love planted in a soul becomes a stepping stone that leads toward eternal life.

This year again, as Christmas approached, we prayed for months with our supporters, asking God for wisdom regarding the Basket of Love. We knew we needed to share the joy of Christ’s birth—God’s love—with lonely, poor, and sick neighbors, but we did not know how to begin. In previous years, supporters met once a month to pray, share updates about mission members, and gather small offerings to prepare the baskets. But as time passed, the number of people we served grew, and more baskets were needed. God graciously heard our prayers and allowed us to hold a charity concert, blessing us so abundantly that the baskets overflowed.

Musicians traveled from near and far, offering their talents to glorify God. Those who attended the concert experienced a moving and joyful time. Many prayed, donated, prepared food, sent offerings, and even handcrafted crosses for the performers as a sign of gratitude. Their generosity filled the baskets so abundantly that we nearly ran out of space to hold everything. Watching the joyful faces of the congregation during the concert, I was struck by how deeply people still long to participate in doing good. The more workers who courageously step forward for the Lord’s good work, the more widely God’s kingdom will spread on this earth.

I think of the Magi who set out 2,000 years ago to welcome the King of the Jews. Guided by the star announcing the long-awaited Savior’s birth, they chose that long and difficult pilgrimage for the sole purpose of worshiping Him. And at last, they found the infant Jesus in a smelly, humble manger and received the honor of offering the first worship. This year, as we present the love-filled baskets to the baby Jesus as our offering, we lift our eyes to His face.

He comes to us today in many forms—in the sick, the naked and hungry, the suffering in mental hospitals, the malnourished infant, the prisoner behind bars. Remembering the love of God, who sent us His very heart, we give thanks that once again this year we are able to deliver the Basket of Love.

— Yoon Wan-Hee, December 12, 1994