In the Habit of Giving

At lunch recently the topic of "giving" came up. Someone suggested people of faith need to develop the habit of giving. Several examples of spontaneous charity all illustrated a common truth — giving makes us feel good. I thought immediately of the fate of the barren fig tree recorded in both Matthew and Mark's Gospel. It occurs after Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem when he entered the Temple, only to discover moneychangers had made that holy place a "den of thieves". Jesus was not amused.

You see, he was hungry, and a fig tree without any figs did not improve his mood. Seeing money changers profiting from their financial dealings in the Temple prompted him to curse the tree which immediately withered and died. (Well in Matthew it was immediate, in Mark it took three days to expire!) This harsh story doesn't preach well. Especially in Mark who goes on to explain this wasn't the right season for fig trees to bear fruit. It's scarcely fair to expect fruit out of season whether you're hungry or not. It helps to remember that Jesus thought and spoke in parables, and for him the harvest is always ready, it's we laborers who are late, or unwilling.

In any case, the thrust of this story remains — people get hungry, trees bear fruit, Jesus has short patience for trees that don't fulfill their purpose when the world's need is legion. Pity the plight of the constipated fig tree!

As I ruminated on this I thought again how important giving is and I wondered, what will it take to become more giving? Habit surely plays a part in this. Learn a habit and it takes on a life of its own. Get used to giving and you discover you feel good. Give enough, and give often enough, and you will find yourself looking for places to give, or for people who need your gift or causes that need your support. The harvest is huge, immense, infinite. Develop the habit of giving and you will discover you've developed another habit: noticing. Need has always been around you. Why hadn't you seen it before?

Once again I see that withered tree and think how withered we can become. Busy getting and spending, exchanging love and mercy, compassion and kindness for personal wealth, power, prestige and popularity, we measure our worth by the balance in our checkbook, the success of our ventures, the number of barns we've had to build to contain our "holdings". We are constipated fig trees. We don't need Jesus' cursing, we have cursed ourselves.

Giving doesn't just feel good, it doesn't even "fix" a needy world, it just makes sense out of being alive. So develop a habit of giving... it's what living is all about!

~ George Miller

News from the Inreach/Outreach Ministry

Last Friday, we had a lengthy discussion at our monthly meeting and realized that, despite our relatively small church, there are plenty of ways that we can make a big impact in the Montrose community and beyond. In the spirit of helping us get into "the habit of giving" (thanks, George!), we will provide you with an opportunity each month to participate in an outreach project that makes life better for others.

HOMELESS CARE KITS
With winter fast-approaching, the homeless folks in our community need our help. We have provided empty ziplock bags along with a list of suggested items for you to create your own kit. Please bring the filled kits to the Cabin on Sunday morning so they can be distributed to MADA and the food bank. (A little tip for women: instead of a ziplock bag, fill a gently-used purse with your items, including feminine hygiene products.) Any questions, see Mary or Beth.

FAIR-TRADE CATALOG SALE
In years past, we have hosted a SERRV sale to raise awareness of fair-trade practices during the holiday shopping season. Given our current circumstances, we have decided to hold a catalog sale this year. You can pick up a catalog and order form at church or download the order form and fill it out from the online SERRV catalog at www.serrv.org.