December 3, 2025

Thou who wast rich, beyond all splendor, all for love’s sake, becamest poor…

Frank Houghton

In 1934, Frank Houghton traveled through China as part of his service to the China Inland Mission. Earlier that same year, John and Betty Stam were martyred in Jingde by the Communist Red Army. Their infant daughter, Helen, was found by pastor Lo Ke-chou in an abandoned house, wrapped in her mother’s sleeping bag with $10 and several clean diapers. Many others serving the Lord in the China Inland Mission were captured, never to be heard from again.  Inspired by 2 Corinthians 8:9, Frank Houghton wrote Thou Who Was Rich Beyond All Splendor in tribute to John and Betty’s brief but faithful missionary service in China and the many others who suffered captivity. *Martyrdom is not a common inspiration for a Christmas hymn - but what Frank saw in the suffering of his fellow laborers in the China Inland Mission reflected the grace gift** of the Gospel, which, of course, ties in with the meaning and hope of the Advent and Christmas season. John and Betty Stam were simply following the path laid before all of us by Jesus, who loved both God and neighbor with a perfect and holy love.   

At this point, you might be getting worried that this devotional is going to take a moralistic turn: leveraging the story of John and Betty Stam in light of the incarnation of Jesus, only to say,  “Look at what God has done for you, why aren’t you giving your all as the Stams did?” Don’t worry, that’s not my point, nor is it the point of the incarnation. Instead, think about the deep love of God that is revealed in the incarnation of Jesus and the 2000 years of witnesses who followed in sharing the Gospel. Take time this week to reflect on God’s love in Christ that has been brought to your attention through the careful prayers and fellowship of the people around you. Before we can do anything else as Christians, we all have to consider and receive the free grace of God in Christ by faith. Thankfully, God does not resent us for our neediness. 

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*https://reformationbiblecollege.org/blog/beyond-all-splendor-a-favorite-christmas-hymn
**Greek is ironically profound on this point, as the word “Charis” can mean “grace” or “gift” depending on the context around it.