Monday - giving

Prayer:  Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world,  have mercy upon us.  Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world,  grant us Your peace.  Amen.

  Topic #4:  Give and give and give.

Just as God gave his Son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice so that we can have eternal life,  giving is the core of Christianity.       Giving is a positive response.  The more we give – whether it be our time,  our talents,  our prayers,  or our money – the fuller our life in God becomes.   

With Christmas just last month,  we remember what it means to give.   Some people probably gave extra money to various charities.  Some people probably helped with Christmas Hampers for those in need.  Some people probably gave away their winter coats so that others could be warm.

Yet even with this act of giving,  it is interesting in our Church this day,  our Church has forgotten the art of giving.  Especially this time of year when Annual General Meetings cometh…..our Sessions and Boards get so wrapped up with issues of money – how will we afford to keep up the Church,  how will we afford to provide the Minister and Lay Preachers with a stipend – that we have forgotten the art of giving.      We have turned inward and forgot that God didn’t say, “Build a big Church building that costs more in Insurance and Heating that it does to feed ten families”.     

God said,  “Come with me and follow me and we will live together feeding the poor,  healing the sick,  and comforting the broken-hearted”.  

Statement of Faith and Prayer:

I believe in God the Father Almighty,  Maker of heaven and earth.  And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord,  who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,  born of the Virgin Mary,  suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.  He descended into hell.  The third day He rose again from the dead.  He ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Ghost,  the Holy Catholic  Church,  the communion of saints,  the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,  and the life everlasting.  Amen.