GENEROSITY

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25

Have you noticed how, in the middle of this worst-case scenario, a wave of giving is being unleashed? It’s as if the eyes of our hearts are being opened to those around us, and we are asking how we can access our resources for our struggling neighbors. Books in little box libraries are being replaced with canned goods; housewives are sewing masks; musicians are live streaming to bring hope; ordinary folks are putting together care packages; communities are handing out bags of household necessities; business people are forgiving rents; and people are reaching into their pocketbooks to help.
No one, no government entity has mandated generosity. And yet, from our nation’s spiritual heritage, we see people looking for ways to demonstrate care. Businesses are posting messages of solidarity and encouragement. Children are stuffing toy animals in windows to signal joy to their friends who can’t get together to play. Cardboard signs are popping up in yards expressing gratitude for first responders, for the medical profession, for our grocers. People are setting up online help sites for those who may need assistance. Calls of concern and love are ringing people across the miles while notes and cards are being put in the mail. Neighbors are talking to each other—again—just as we did before air conditioning drove us all indoors.
Could it be that these kinder, more giving selves are springing from a well that’s been waiting to be rediscovered? From One who’s tried to waken us from our selfishness? Could it be that the One who gave first and who keeps on giving has been waiting for vehicles through which he might flow his love and himself? Ephesians (2:10) reminds us that we have been created for good works, for “such a time as this,” to glorify God and to demonstrate his love.
I love the whole Joseph story but especially the ending. After being so heartless and cruel to Joseph and experiencing his grace in return, the brothers fear that Joseph will exact revenge on the death of their father. Instead, Joseph responds in love, “You meant it for evil; God meant it for good” (Gen. 50:20). This pandemic is unmitigated evil, but hearts living, breathing, and reaching out in God’s love can use it for good.

 

Sovereign Father, turn evil into good through us as we give ourselves as instruments of your love. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.

SOCIAL SECURITY

 

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. Acts 4:32

 

Have you ever taken time to look at God’s provisions for his children in Bible times? It’s quite instructive the way God worked through his people to ensure that all needs were met, and yet, no one was robbed of his dignity. Take, for example, the injunction to farmers, “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the sojourner” (Lev. 19:9, 10).

There’s more: “At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that… the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied” (Deut. 14:28-29).  “When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands” (Deut. 24:19). And then, “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God” (Prov. 14:31).

Do you notice that those who had plenty were to leave food for those who had no provision? But, and this is so important, the poor, widows, orphans, and strangers (who weren’t yet established) could maintain their self-respect by gathering the crops that were left growing in the fields or vines. They were able to work for their provision. This is what Ruth did, and her industry attracted the attention of the wealthy farmer, Boaz. (She also attained a place in the lineage of Jesus for her all-round good character.)

Speaking on God’s behalf, Isaiah (58:10) says, “If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” If we wisely invest our resources in ministry to others, God will bless whatever we have. Jesus said, “… I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in” (Matt. 25:35).  He pointed out that when we minister to others, we are giving to him.

Corbett and Fikkert (When Helping Hurts) address the problem of generosity without understanding… when we rush in to help people without encouraging them to see the many assets they already possess. Remember Moses, when he was complaining to the Lord that he wasn’t the right leader for the Israelites? God’s response to him was, “What’s in your hand?” What do you already have that can be used?  Everyone possesses assets that are waiting to be identified.

We shouldn’t be afraid (or stingy) about reaching out in faith to wisely help the truly needy. In fact, one of the big complaints God had against the Israelites—study the writings of the prophets—was the way they treated those among them who suffered and whom they didn’t pity. In words of encouragement, Jesus said, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38).

Remember, it’s more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

Father, help our love for you to be manifested in our deeds for others. In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

HUMBUG

 

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.      John 15:11

 

This Christmas season, I’ve seen something I’ve never before witnessed. Doesn’t mean it hasn’t been there before, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it: People not enjoying Christmas. I’m not speaking of people who’ve suffered loss of some sort; I’m thinking of people who just don’t seem to be able to access the joy that’s come to the world.

 

I’m part of at least two different communities. In one I’ve learned that a handful of people have withdrawn from times of sharing and prefer to carry on as if this is not a wonderful time of celebration and remembrance. With the assistance of some Christmas elves, we’ve made certain that everyone knows that he or she in that community is loved and cared for. Lest you think there are Scrooges amongst them, none of these folks is financially stressed. Something else precludes their celebration.

 

The other group of which I’m a part does have a Grinch (or maybe two). Will that temper my reaching out in love? Why should it, as long as I’m gentle, sensitive, and thoughtful? We can give without loving, but we can’t love without giving. And that doesn’t just mean material items.

 

Just look at Jesus’ gift catalog:

 

• At a wedding where he was a guest, his mother pointed out the need for wine. To avoid shaming the family, Jesus provided a sommelier’s dream, the best wine anyone had ever tasted. Jesus gave happiness and honor to the family.
• In an encounter with an outcast woman at an obscure well, Jesus probed deep enough to find her heart’s longing. He gave her forgiveness and respect.
• At Bethesda Pool Jesus touched a lame man and gave him healing and a new life.
• In other instances, Jesus brought a son back to life and returned him to his mother; he gave an adulteress a second chance and offered her forgiveness; he caused a blind man to see and gave him a Savior; he fed people who had no access to food, meeting their physical and spiritual needs; he forgave his fearful and faithless disciples and gave them eternity. And he gave us himself.
• Jesus gave because of love, and he continues to give us everything we need “for life and godliness.” And have you noticed that all of his gifts have come from his heart?

 

There are gifts that each of us has that don’t cost a penny. They may require time and creativity, but they are vehicles for us to express Christ’s love and the true “reason for the season.” No need for humbugs—if we know Jesus. He gave us the greatest gift and brought joy to the world.

 

Father, cause us to initiate an explosion of love and joy this year as we celebrate your Son’s glorious Advent. AMEN.

SERVANT

[Jesus] made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself… Philippines 2:7, 8 (KJV)

 

Aidan, the beloved saint who founded Lindisfarne* in the 7th Century, was known to live and instruct his monks in the way of service. The devout community who lived together divided their time between prayers, study, work, and loving action for others. Aidan “learned to travel lightly, knowing that the less you had the less you need fear being robbed. The more you carried about with you the more anxious and burdened you became.”
Aidan taught his monks to walk among the people, not to ride on horseback where they would be far above them and unable to talk with them. Once the king hand-picked a beautiful horse and equipped it with jewel-studded saddle and tack and presented it to Aidan. With a heavy heart, but grateful for the king’s generosity, Aidan left the palace. He became anxious about robbers, about protecting his valuable new possessions, and about being so high above his people. Soon he saw a beggar standing by the roadside and thought of giving him the valuable saddle, and then it occurred to him that the man would be unable to carry it. Immediately, he resolved his dilemma by getting off the horse and handing it over along with saddle and tack, telling the beggar where it could be sold for a good price.
Occasionally, we hear of contemporaries who have given themselves in service for others. Think of Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, whom we now know as Mother Theresa, a young woman from an affluent family who gave her life to serve lepers, disabled, the blind, and the aged. What about Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade, who was discovered early one morning polishing all the shoes that had been left in the hall by the Korean staff? And there’s Elisabeth Elliott, missionary, whose husband Jim was killed by the Auca Indians – she went back to lead them to Jesus. On and on we could go, listing those who have chosen to give more than possessions; they have given themselves to serve our Lord by serving others.
It is easy to talk and read of service, but the doing requires an inner letting go of pride, of place, of possession, of time, and of self. Where do we begin? Or how do we continue?
Father, as people of the Cross, make us doers as well as hearers of your word. Show us now the door that opens to us in service. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.
*Lindisfarne Island (Holy Island) is off the northeast coast of England.

 

GIVING

 

Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him… I Corinthians 16:2 (KJV)

In a meeting the other day, we were discussing funding for certain of our ministries and the need for economy. Someone piped up with, “If everyone tithed, we’d have enough for all the ministries.” That wasn’t exactly a revelation, but we all moaned in agreement.

Statistically speaking, “Tithers make up only 10-25 percent of a normal congregation. Only 5 percent of the U.S. tithes, with 80 percent of Americans only giving 2 percent of their income” (relevantmagazine.com). There are reasons people give for not tithing, but it all boils down to relationship—relationship with God.

You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. And actually, tithing is not a gift. A tithe is just a basic payment in recognition of God’s generosity. A tithe is a payment; anything above the 10 percent mark becomes a gift. With all that God has given us, how can we fail to recognize his generosity by our giving in return? “Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (I Chron. 29:14 NIV).

Do we foolishly think we can out-give God? Will our faithful stewardship cause us to suffer financially? In response to that, God challenges us, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it” (Mal. 3:10). He promises blessing in response to obedience. But we don’t obey to be blessed; we obey out of love.

Perhaps you’re thinking, this is old stuff. I already tithe and don’t need any reminders. So, what about becoming a giver and moving to another level? In Freedom of Simplicity, Richard J. Foster suggests practices such as simplifying our lives by giving away all the extraneous things we tend to warehouse just because they might someday be needed. He cuts even deeper proposing that we begin giving away (all or in part) monies that we weren’t expecting, such as tax refunds or inheritances or rebates, those unexpected windfalls. And there are even more ideas in Freedom…

Foster’s thoughts could be considered radical, but considering all God’s marvelous abundance with which we are constantly and consistently blessed, our giving back is nothing. Think about your giving as an index of your relationship with Jesus.

 

Lord, we cannot begin to express our gratitude for you and your ongoing kindness, love, and mercy. Work in us a heart of thanksgiving so that we willing let go of more and more of those things with which you have blessed us. And let our joy abound. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.

GIVING: A TRUE STORY

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Luke 6:38

 

 

A colleague and I have been doing lectures for clergy and laity on Christian stewardship.  So many people seem to be of the opinion that stewardship is optional—we pick and choose those things we will care for.  As if our bodies will run on automatic without proper food, exercise, rest, and relaxation…  As if our spirits will continue to thrive without the Word, obedience, or prayer…  As if our souls will be sustained without love, intellectual stimulation, or challenges…

Stewardship is holistic:  our time includes choices and priorities; our talent encompasses sharing those unique gifts with which God has blessed us; and treasure is that which God has planted within these clay vessels as well as all the resources he’s entrusted to us.   Actually, we are brimming over with riches that we can expend on God’s Kingdom and at his direction.

Over dinner, some friends told me how their pastor had graphically illustrated this point last week.  Typically, their church doesn’t pass an offering plate—people entering the sanctuary place their offerings in a box set aside for their tithes and offerings.  The pastor announced he would do something different.  He would preach on giving, and they would take an offering.

After this unusual occurrence, the ushers passed buckets—the pastor asked people to give only the cash in their pockets—and then brought the buckets back to the front whereupon the pastor told the congregation that the buckets would be passed again.  But this time, anyone who had a need was to take out what he needed—that was what everyone wanted him/her to do.  At that, the congregation began to applaud, and the buckets were passed.  Right and left, hands began to reach out and find that there was plenty for all.

This week, the pastor announced the result of this ministry:  Stories were pouring in of desperate folks being touched and helped.  After all the needs were met, there was still $68,000 left over.  He asked everyone to stay tuned to see what God would do with the leftovers.

Does that remind you of a story about loaves and fishes?

 

Father, when we trust you and allow you to be Lord over all you’ve given us, there is always enough—and more.  Thank you.  AMEN.

OOPS

…give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.  Luke 6:38

 

My friend David told me a story about a village that had just experienced a record crop of grapes, and all the villagers agreed to come together for a regional celebration of thanksgiving.  The mayor requested everyone to bring a barrel of their very best wine; each one would pour his contribution into a large vat.

The day and time of the festival was announced, and people came from far and wide to join in the happiness of the tiny village.  The head of each family brought his keg, climbed the small ladder, and poured his wine into the community receptacle while the people below cheered and clapped.  The next person came, climbed the ladder, and added his barrel of wine.  And so on it went.  Person after person climbed the ladder and accepted the applause as he emptied his barrel.

One of the villagers, a rather parsimonious fellow, thought to himself that he would fill his barrel with water and empty it without anyone’s knowing that he had withheld his family’s bounty.  He, too, was cheered and applauded as he emptied his barrel and made his way down the ladder.

The big moment of the festival arrived.  All the neighboring villagers crowded around with their tankards looking forward to tasting the delicious fruit of the year’s labor.  The mayor put the first mug under the spigot and opened the tap.  And to the shame of all the villagers, the liquid flowed clear.  Everyone had selfishly filled their kegs with water and saved the good wine for themselves.

David and I had been talking about stewardship and the joy of giving—that Jesus said it was more blessed to give than to receive.  Paul went on to say that “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (II Cor. 9:6).

There’s an old saying I heard a lot growing up, What goes ‘round comes ‘round.  I suspect that’s what happened with that stingy little village.  Not only did they miss out on the joy of giving, but they embarrassed themselves in front of the whole region.

 

Lord, we hear and read with joy stories of great generosity and the blessing it brings.  Give us hearts that love to give so that we might bless others and bring glory to your name, the one who gave all.  AMEN.

CHEERFUL GIVING

 

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  II Corinthians 9:7

The music begins, and people dance down the aisles to deposit their gifts and return, dancing, to their seats.  Another song begins, and another group repeats the process of dancing down the aisle to deposit a handful of treasure.  This will continue for up to an hour until everyone has an opportunity to dance and joyfully give his or her gift.

Offering time in Nebbi, Uganda, is something one must see and experience to believe.  These beautiful people who some might describe as economically challenged prove themselves to be some of the wealthiest in the world in their giving to their Lord.  With joy and thanksgiving everyone dances to the front as his or her zone moves forward in time with their special song.

I remember being in one congregation where the gifts were vegetables from the garden or bags that jumped around during the service as cherished small farm animals were given in thanksgiving.  The focus of the offertory was expressing gratitude for God’s abundance poured out in the lives of his children.

At home in Texas most of my giving is online.  My church, missionaries, and organizations that I support all encourage online giving.  I never get to dance.  The closest thing to Nebbi offerings that I experience here is when our church has our Noisy Offering:  all the children grab pots and pans, spittoons and buckets, anything that makes noise when change is tossed in.  One cannot avoid giving—the children are seriously in your face until you put something in their containers.  And they do dance back to the front to lively, joyous music.

I really do believe God loves cheerful givers, and it’s so much more fun.

 

Lord, our hearts burst with gratitude for your generosity that never seems to end.  Remind us that “all things come of thee, oh Lord, and of thine own we have given thee.”  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

HELPERS

So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.  Romans 14:19 NLT

“I can do it,” my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter told her grandmother. Tish was sitting on Momo’s kitchen counter stirring her first cake batter, firmly convinced she had all the expertise necessary to produce a fine cake.  At two-and-a-half.  That’s understandable for a small child, but have you ever seen an adult who could do it all and never needed help?  Or have you been that person who, as the old saying goes, is independent as a hog on ice?

Do you know people you’ve offered to help–something as simple as giving a ride, setting a table, assisting with a task–who can’t seem to acknowledge the smallest need?  We build walls around ourselves so that we maintain an air of invincibility and inaccessibility.  As long as we’re self- sufficient, no one can require anything of us.  Our pride is nurtured when we delude ourselves into thinking we don’t need anyone.  And we can pretty easily shut everyone out.

But isn’t it interesting that the King of Kings was supported by women (Luke 8:1-3); that someone else was his banker (John 12:6); that he allowed Mary to wash his feet (Luke 7:38); that he asked his friends to pray with him (Matthew 26:49); and that Simon carried his cross?  The One who created all things humbled himself to permit others to help him.  He provided the space for intimacy that emerges when we open ourselves to being served.   His greatness disallowed pride but opened instead the door to love.

We sometimes erect walls to avoid pain but in so doing, we inflict pain.  Jesus “knew human nature” thoroughly (John 2:2), and still, he chose Judas.  And Peter.  And Thomas.  He lowered his own drawbridge to welcome flawed human beings in familiarity and mutual exchange.  Jesus’ sacrifice came long before his execution at the cross:  He gave himself—his time, his thoughts, his privacy, his preferences, everything—from the very beginning.  And from his loving sacrifices emerged the Church.

Father, we need your help in pulling down the barriers we’ve erected for selfish reasons.  Cast out our fear of being taken advantage of, and help us to become vulnerable, trusting in your protection.  Cause your love to open our hearts so that we gladly receive as well as give.  Thank you.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

LIMITATIONS

 

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Ephesians 3:20  (NLT)

 

Only those who were truly intimate knew the difficult circumstances of Ms. Edith’s marriage.  Her husband was demanding, often unreasonable, and extremely careful about money.  The grace-filled life that people saw from the outside was almost entirely due to Ms. Edith’s interior life.

 

She said she’d given her heart to Jesus when she was a little girl of five, and she had never taken it back.  He was her best Friend, and she learned to utilize difficulties as vehicles for spiritual growth.  The very discomforts that could have crushed a soul were transformed instead into parables for the many who sought her counsel and who turned to her for comfort in their own trials.

 

There was a grief, however, that burdened Ms. Edith for years:  She anguished at Christmas or birthdays or occasions for giving gifts.  The budget imposed on Ms. Edith didn’t permit her generous soul to give as she would have liked.

 

After years of agonizing over this seemingly impossible constraint, Ms. Edith did what she did so well.  She prayed.  She asked God somehow to allow her to give abundantly from her heart.  And then the idea came.  Ms. Edith thought of all the fabric scraps she had from years of sewing, and she began experimenting with making appliquéd pictures.  At first they were simple, but as her confidence grew, and her imagination was given free rein, her pictures became works of art.

 

Cleverly, Ms. Edith invited her husband to craft frames for her creations, and together their artistry became known and highly desired in their community.  Friends and family were all hopeful they would be among those receiving a Ms. Edith picture.  As her skills grew, Ms. Edith was invited to teach in a local specialty shop, and her pieces soon were bringing in fees that she could not have imagined.

 

The limitation that had initially brought so much grief to Ms. Edith was embraced and became the incentive for reaching inside to allow the inner beauty to be expressed through her fingers.  While few people knew the pain that had been the impetus of her gift, everyone delighted in the joy that she had wrung from her sorrow.

 

Loving Father, thank you for transforming sorrow and pain and suffering into things of beauty as we trust you to grace and fill and use us for your dear purposes.  May we, like the oyster, learn to embrace the irritants that they might become objects of beauty to your glory.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.