March 13, 2017
Lenten Devotions – Give Willingly

“Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.” Psalm 25:4-5, 10

To give willingly is a challenge to be confronted by all people, Christians and non-Christians alike. When we give as moved by the Holy Spirit, then it becomes a priority. Jesus teaches us to be prepared to give of ourselves as he modeled for us through the Cross. As such, we consider how we can give of our time, talents, and resources freely.

Here are some facts to consider as you discern how to give willingly:

FOOD PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION              PROBLEM

The earth is able to produce enough                             1.02 billion people are
food for everyone to have their                                        hungry in the world
nutritional needs met.

Food production and distribution                                Human activity, specifically 
accounts for one fifth of the oil                                  through the burning of fossil fuels, 
consumption in the US.                                                  exacerbates climate change. 
Oil is used to produce fertilizer,
pesticides, and packaging; it is also used for
planting, harvesting, shipping, and cooling.
Food travels on average 1,500 miles from
field to plate

Poorer areas of the US, both rural and                     Obesity and other health problems
urban, are less likely to have access                          related to diet (such as Type II
to affordable and nutritious food.                             Diabetes) are more likely in poorer
Those who are poor are more likely                            communities.
to live in a “food desert” where their
only option for food is a convenience store
or fast food restaurant.

“During the season of Lent it is appropriate for each believer to examine her or his faithfulness to attributes that define God. We say that God offers providence, which verbalizes simply that God takes care of us. Jesus puts this concept in the form of a question: “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26) Psalm 25 at its heart addresses the one who prays out of a sense of sinfulness and need for forgiveness. The one who prays asks that God steer his or her life: “Lead me in your truth, and teach me.” But the petitioner also suggests even more by way of confession: “For you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.” The promise to wait is in itself revealing. The one who prays offers persistence and endurance as a means to obtain what God alone can deliver. For stewards, Psalm 25 offers several divine attributes that conceivably those who give and serve faithfully might mimic. Among those divine traits offered by the psalm, we read about God’s mercy, truthfulness, steadfast love, and faithfulness. When the psalmist prays to God, “Teach me your paths,” he asks for a portion of the essence of what makes God what God is for us. To learn of God means that stewards assume God’s traits with the faithful intention to share those Godlike traits with the world.” (Lenten Devotional Stewardship Principles, We walk together as stewards in God’s church, ELCA, 2012, February 25, 26))

During this season of Lent, take some time to discern what it means to give willingly, and to wait patiently. In both cases, we seek G-d’s will – for it is only through the presence of the Holy Spirit that one, or both, are within our grasp.

This week, as part of your Lenten Discipline, collect one stick of deodorant or one pack of razors each day and bring them to church on Sunday, March 19.

Pastor Dave