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In the first chapter of Genesis, after God has created man, He tells him “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.” Right from the start God has been giving to us; life and all that is needed to sustain life. To be alive is to exist in an ever-flowing stream of God’s generosity.
What is the proper response to such largesse? Gratitude. And how do we demonstrate our gratitude to God? Through supporting the church and caring for God’s creation and those less fortunate than ourselves. I was brought up with such an “attitude of gratitude,” and while I may have spent some years unchurched, I always knew how generously God had blessed me. It was in joining a church and entering fully into the life of that church, giving of my time, my talents and my treasure, that I learned of the joy to be found in devotion. Over time, my commitment of treasure increased to tithing, split between church and other benevolences. Before Richard and I joined Rock Spring this year, we pledged 5% of our income to this church.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus cautions against accumulating earthly treasure lest it be ruined by moths or rust or stolen, exhorting us to store up treasure in heaven, saying “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. Until we commit ourselves fully to something, we really don’t experience the pleasure to be had from that experience. A fair weather jogger cannot expect the runner’s high felt by a seasoned marathoner. Friendships that feed the soul take time and energy. So it is with church, until you are ready to commit time to commune with this congregation and contribute to its missions, you will miss out on the great gifts to be had here. Many have learned that a generous gift helps lift up the spirit. It is not the size of the gift that makes it generous, rather it is the spirit in which it is given. May you soon feel the spiritual joy that comes from consecrating yourself to God’s work through a promise to support that work at Rock Spring.