Nancy Heykes
Like Thrivent, I appreciate the modernization of these Matthew verses from Jesus: “Live generously”.
But I’m also thinking that “No more tit-for-tat stuff” also belongs on my tee shirt.
As I’m inspired to be generous with my time, my resources, and my attention what is the underlying spirit at work? I’m sad to realize in all honesty it often involves my definitions of beneficiary worthiness, or the desire to be identified with a group, or other motivation calculations that are at some level a value exchange, a tit-for-tat.
Jesus uses such simple but bold examples to school us in the ‘Kingdom economy’.
- It’s not transactional – it’s self-giving relationship.
- It’s not a meritocracy of deserving– it’s grounded in mercy and grace.
- It’s not about allocating scarce resources, but sharing God’s free-flowing abundance
You and I are challenged to follow this almsgiving servant life modeled by Jesus, not only by analyzing our bank accounts or calendars, but digging into the attitudes and assumptions we carry. This servant life is the cruciform life - the love of God and love of neighbor entwined.
To live in this way challenges us to counter our culture, to reject the prevalent scarcity mindset that belies trust in God’s abundant love and care for all. To counter the messages and triggers to accumulate more, more, more. To silence the fear that to care for those we love we need to protect and hoard what’s ‘ours’ since there is only so much to go around. To lift our eyes and open our ears to face that others do not have what they need, what God intends for their abundant life, and not rationalize others as somehow not deserving.
This call to live the almsgiving servant life comes to each of us in our differing contexts. In our Lenten journey we can reflect personally and together. Here are two questions that I’ve been prayerfully reflecting on and discussing with family and friends:
- As a retired white Boomer advantaged in history to now reap the benefits of the ‘3-legged stool’ of employer pensions + Social Security + personal savings, how can I more joyfully open my hand to share time, energy and money, overcoming the fearful voice that warns I have a declining supply of all?
- As a US citizen finally coming to grips with the cumulative and continuing impact of my ancestors’ theft of land from our indigenous neighbors and theft of labor from enslaved people, how can my resources of time, attention and money work for repentance, justice, restoration and reconciliation?
