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What a sobering thought; “Remember that you are
dust, and to dust you shall return.” And how
sobering that so soon after the reverie of
Christmas, we descend into the ashes of Lent.
Again and again we will be reminded of our mortal
nature. Where in such a descent can there be cause
for gratitude?
Picture what it means to be dust and return to
dust. It means that we are created by God from
nothing more than dust. And when we leave this
mortal earth our bodies return to that dust. We
come into this world with nothing and we leave
with nothing, other than the promise of what comes
next. All that happens in between, all that we
become, all that we acquire, all that we
experience, is given us in love by God.
So Lent becomes a
wonderful gift. It calls us to pause and reflect
and be reminded that we live because God created
us, that He abundantly supplies for us to carry
out His work in creation, and that His son Jesus
Christ died that we might have eternal life.
What response
to such infinite grace could we possibly give but
gratitude, particularly reflected in an
overwhelming desire to be obedient to God’s
purpose for us.
How do we show our gratitude to God? Psalm 51
within the Ash Wednesday Liturgy contains the
verses (17 & 18), “Had you desired it, I would
have offered sacrifice; but you take no delight in
burnt-offerings. The sacrifice of God is a
troubled spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O
God, you will not despise.”
A seminal way in which we demonstrate our
dedication to the Source of all that we are and
have, is to devote the first ten percent of our
time, our talent, and our treasure to God’s work;
we tithe. This is not “burnt-offering.” This is
our stating “God comes first” through the way we
live. God does not need or want anything that we
can give Him other than a return of the same
unbridled love that He gives us. Our tithing keeps
us mindful that all that we have comes from Him.
Lent certainly is a good time to re-examine your
ministries and your giving. Lent is a fine time
for making new commitments to service by tithing
your time and talents through the many ministry
opportunities at Christ Church. And it is an
appropriate time to consider how you can work
towards tithing your treasure, your money. Even if
you have already completed a pledge for 2002, it
is certainly appropriate to change your pledge to
reflect your renewed spirit. |
