“Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; ³⁰ as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. ³¹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ³² Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. ³⁴ “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, ³⁵ like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” ³⁷ Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called. ³⁸ And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the temple.” Luke 21:29-38

“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with…the worries of this life.”  I was listening to a pastor on the radio a few years ago, and he said that we need to have three things in our Christian life (the three point sermon if you must). Those three things are “faith” “focus” and “following”. We need to have faith and trust in G-d that G-d will give us what we need. We need to have focus so that we are not distracted by the things of this world. And we need to follow, without hesitation and with joy in the journey.

Now, that teaching is good and instructive, but the stress of living, and the worries of life are sometimes so overwhelming. It is so easy to become sidetracked from each one of these three things, k of being an excessive worrier, especially of interjecting the worries of tomorrow into today. Even though Jesus says, “do not worry so that the “day of Lord” catches you unaware”, well, as I have said before, that sure sounds easy, but……….

Pastor Dave

“He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; ² he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. ³ He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; ⁴ for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4

The Widows Offering is so instructive for us today – and like the previous posting, it is also a difficult teaching. Stewardship is such a messy and difficult topic – stewardship of our time, of our talents and gifts, and of our money. But when the bible presents a story of an elderly widow giving everything she has to G-d, well, our hearts stop and we wonder “How can we do that?”

What is in your heart when it comes to sharing what you have? How do you feel when you are giving to G-d, whether it is out of a heart of abundance, or a heart of scarcity? Do you find that you have to hold back, thinking that you must save for a rainy day?  Do you give out of the expectation that you will receive equal to the amount that you give? Why do you give at all? Do you give enough to your neighbors, to your church, or to your government? How do you calculate when enough is enough?  How do you answer the questions of others who believe you are wasting your money and your time?

A simple story of giving – but it carries so much more.

Pastor Dave