Gifts of Faith and Love
3rd Sunday before Advent – Proper 27 – Year B – 2015 – Family Service
Every Sunday we gather here in Church we do a number of things. We sing hymns, we hear the Bible read, we pray, and we contribute to running the parish – my salary, upkeep of Church building, payment of Youth Work, giving to charity. This is much more than just paying our bills – it’s part of our worship, part of saying thank you to God for all the blessings we enjoy. In Old Testament times, there was the idea of the tithe – people would have given a tenth of all they earned to God.
It is not just a matter of what we give, but the spirit in which we give it is important to God. I want to tell you a true story about a man who came to see me the first Christmas I was in Finglas – we’ll call him Bert. Bert could not hear very well so he didn’t come to Church. He wasn’t very well off, but he and his wife decided to give their Christmas disability bonus to someone who needed it more. That envelope was not the biggest donation that year, but it was the most significant.
Our two lessons have spoken of people who brought gifts, each apparently small and insignificant – yet seen as great in the eyes of God. The faithfulness of the widow in feeding Elijah, the simple sincerity of the widow giving her small coin – they each gave willingly what they could.
I want us to think of other gifts we can offer that can make a difference. Gifts of time, gifts of listening, gifts of compassion. Of themselves, these can seem unimportant, of little value – but God can work in and through all of these. Back in Finglas, Bert brought more than just money – he brought a love and concern for people. May God take our gifts, our money, our time, our compassion, and work in and through them to bring something of his love into the lives of others.