Gift Day

In Psalm 24, we are reminded that “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” It’s helpful to reflect on that and its implications. This world is God’s. He lovingly created it. Everything in it is His, without exception. The lovely paradox that creates for us is that everything we have is already God’s and everything we give to Him already belongs to him. For me personally, and with that in mind, when I think about giving, my starting point is this prayer “Lord, all that I have been, all that I am, and all that I aspire to be, I give to you. All that I have, all that I possess, is yours. Give me wisdom and guidance to be a good steward of all that you have blessed me with – my time, my talents, and my resources.”

In our first reading from 2 Corinthians, we are told, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” I have realised the truth of this in my life. It is incredibly freeing to sow generously and give out of the poverty of my spirit, and not under compulsion. Our giving can be in and of itself an act of worship. Our ability to give is the gift that keeps on giving. This is why the passage reminds us that “This service that we perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”

In all of this, we should remember that all of us can give of our time, talents, and resources too. But it’s never making a song and dance about what we give or how we give, or our acts of righteousness. Even if you had all the riches in the world, you cannot buy your way into heaven. I am humbled by the people in this Church who give of themselves in all these ways, and I want to firstly say “thank you”, and secondly to say, “please know it is deeply appreciated.” You need to hear that.

What we are in the business of doing is seeking to “store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” This is important because “where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.” Where is our treasure? The primary reason for our creation is to be in relationship with God and worship Him. Everything else stems from that and we are called to share the Good News of his love that is beyond measure and his mercy that triumphs over judgement. We are a missional people.

As a Church, we have needs. That much should be clear from Tricia’s presentation. However, it is important to recognise that people can only give what they can, and we live in very challenging times. Whenever I share about giving, I always remind people of the story of the widow’s mite from Luke’s Gospel:

“As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ‘Truly I tell you,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’” (Luke 21:1-4)

Remember we can all give, and we can give in different ways. We can give of our time – for example, we can commit to praying for the blessing and growth of this Church family, and praying for the sick in mind, body or spirit. We can give of our talents – for example, we may be really good at volunteering and helping in our Church groups, or organising events, or serving on our PCC, or cleaning or the many other tasks that are part of us being Church. If you are not sure where help is needed, please ask. And lastly, we can give of our resources if we have the means in support of the work and mission of this Church. We give what we can, mindful that “This service that we perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”

Amen