The gospel text for Ash Wednesday, the first day of
Lent, is Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21. Verses 3 and 4 of that text have Jesus saying to
the crowd, “But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your
right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father
who sees in secret will reward you.”
So, it is not with a small amount of discomfort that
I write this.
On Saturday I wrote a check for $20 to TAKE (The Ankeny Klothing Exchange) so that I could put it in the
offering on Sunday. TAKE is our church’s
mission focus for the month of March.
The organization is housed in the Neveln Community Resource Center in
Ankney, IA, along with a food pantry and the Ankeny Service Center. TAKE
receives clothing (and other items) and then turns around and gives it away.
So, no money is exchanged. It is run completely by volunteers, of course, as
there is no income. However, they do have to pay a modest rent of $300 a month
to use the space.
Now, I tell you this with a bit of discomfort, not
because I am afraid I won’t ‘get my promised reward.’ Indeed I already have received it…I just don’t
like to brag about my giving; though, in the grand scheme of things, $20 is not
a huge drop in the philanthropy bucket.
However, when I say I have already received my
reward, what I mean is that I love giving. I love the fact that my family and I
are now in a position to give, for that has not always been the case. We, like many other families, had gotten in
over our head in debt. In addition to that, we wasted a lot of money. Thus, we
never felt like we were in a position to give anything. We wanted to give, but
couldn’t. With a lot of hard work and
prayer and help, we are now in a better financial position. I’m not saying we
don’t waste money. We still have a long way to go in that regard. But, we are certainly able to share better
what we have. And that brings us the reward that sharing always brings: joy!
You have given us a world of abundance, God of life!
Help us to delight in sharing that abundance with each other. Amen!
Shalom Y’all,
Owen
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