Vicars Letter - 12th July 2024

Rev. Summer Benton

​Kia ora All Saints,
 
We are in our second week of giving month and recently I have found myself contemplating the difference between generosity that we see around us from good hearted people in the world, and generosity within the Kingdom. Everybody can be generous. Everybody can give to worthy causes and help their neighbours. In fact, I find the culture around us here to be particularly generous and loving. So, what sets us apart from the world in the way we are generous as the Body of Christ? The short answer is that there are probably many things we can notice in this space, but I want to briefly share about one element I’ve been contemplating.
 
As Christians we are challenged to see all things as gifts from God and told not to store up our treasures on this earth. We have a children’s book of the parables at home and the story of the rich farmer paints a humorous picture of a man who keeps building bigger barns and then dies and doesn’t get to enjoy any of his wealth. But I would challenge that it’s not really about him missing out on the opportunity to enjoy his wealth. It’s about Jesus not wanting us to make our lives about what we have. God’s goodness and blessings come to us and we should be conduits of those blessings to the world. Sometimes this is about money and resources but sometimes it’s about the way we use our time or the way we use our talents. The world around us generally gives out of what is left over. If we have time, we donate that time to volunteer for a worthy cause. If we have extra money, we give to the poor. Sometimes we even make sacrifices in that giving but it’s still with the overall view of what’s ours is ours and we can give out of what we have. 
 
As followers of Jesus we give out of what we know Jesus offers. We give because we know there’s always enough and God’s view is larger than our own. This is a paradigm shift that is not easy and most of us will probably be working on it until we meet Jesus one day and then it all will make sense. But this is what each of us should strive for, and this is what we hope to strive for as a church. Let’s continue to push and pull each other closer to God and deeper into a life in God’s Kingdom. As we do so, we are likely to be amazed at what God can do through us and our generosity.
 
Ngā Mihi,
Summer