Thinking about generosity in a pandemic .......

 One of the dilemmas facing, employers, Government, and individuals during this pandemic is money. Employers face the tragic choice between losing their business or letting go, to use the euphemism, employees that have, in one tragic case on the TV News, been with them for a quarter of a century.

The Governments furlough scheme was well received. Its latest initiative less so, ultimately seeking to identify key jobs and support them allows many more individuals to be left relying on the pretty much discredited universal benefit with its echoes of Daniel Blake?

But for individuals the pandemic has been equally divisive.

For some, much of what they spent in the normal course of a week, fuel costs, eating out, entertainment it has not been possible to spend and so bank balances have crept up.

For others however bank balances, reserves, savings have vanished if not overnight then too quickly.

“Either the key to a man's wallet is in his heart, or the key to a man's heart is in his wallet. So, unless you express your charity, you are locked inside your greed.” Noah benShea

Today is, or should have been Harvest, at the close of the Beer Festival there would have been a shared lunch and an auction, but not today.

Nevertheless I want to focus on a key Harvest theme: generosity.

As the last few months have taken their toll a number of issues have arisen and, not the least there has been what I described as, the vexatious issue, of the parish share.

I received an email telling me fairly bluntly that my policy of paying the share at ‘all costs’ will bankrupt the parish. 

As I said in my Newsletter, it is not my policy it is my responsibility if we are to continue to support the Diocese in its mission: Growing Church, Bringing Hope.

Today we read in Matthew’s Gospel that one’s heart is where one’s treasure is. This has to be read in the context of Jesus’ preaching and teaching because it comes slap bang in the centre of the Sermon on the Mount.

In this passage Matthew sets up a tension between stewardship and generosity when we seek to serve two masters and Jesus words help us to understand that the these two masters are earthly and heavenly.

Bluntly Jesus says: You cannot serve God and wealth.

What it often comes down to is a question of worry.

For the mother unable to feed her children or the Father unable to earn a living wage. For anyone who has had the experience of there being more of the month left long after the money has gone.

This kind of worry, about life, or food, or drink, or clothing, worry about having enough, can threaten to separate us from God. 

This may take any of a number of forms -- too much time earning, too much time managing, too much time spent on the spendable, too much fretting over what is enough and even what to do with what one has, in each case worry keeps us from right relationship with God.

This is my worry over the parish share, it is my worry over the costs of ministry, it is my worry right now in the midst of this pandemic.

Matthew in his Gospel suggests that Jesus accusation: “You of little faith,” is that trust is lacking, reliance on God is taken away and held in your own hands and this is not a sign of faith. We should “Strive for the Kingdom of God, and God’s righteousness.” for a worry-free view of money, which opens a window to God in the heart.

Psalm 51:6-9 is a helpful prayer at this point, as it offers a life-orienting attitude that is different from worry offering joy and gladness, in what one has, and in relationship with the God who clothes the lilies, and feeds the birds of the air.

In the midst of the almost apocalyptic drama of this pandemic it is essential that we continue to trust that our God is holding us, so that we can reshape the way we think of our relationship to wealth or its lack.

Worry separates us from God and chokes out our generosity. So we must re-approach the vexatious issue of money so that in our serving God, our money becomes an agent of that service.

 

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