The Power of Giving

It is completely timely that I write of this gift of God at this time. I have experienced an incredible gift this week. I write 'this week', but the gift has been continuous since April this year, when friends, relatives and acquaintances offered their prayers and support during our time of need.



This week my family was given a simple gift of money. It was from my congregation and other concerned and loving Christians, most of whom know my wife Martha and me, and the boys. A fund raiser was put on by St. Lukes and by our local Thrivent Chapter to offset our expenses with Martha's illness. With matching funds donated by Thrivent, over $11,000.00 was collected to help us offset the hospital and doctor and therapy bills. This gift was announced at our 8:30 worship service on December 6.

I don't know fully how to thank everyone who contributed. Though I don't readily show too much emotion (guilty of being a male Lutheran-and of German stock), I do tend to get a tear in my eye on occassion and to be unable to keep a quiver out of my voice when I am witness to generosity and a caring spirit. I would not have been able to respond in any meaningful way to the gift if I had been pressed into doing so on that Sunday. And I want to respond in a worthy manner. Yet, this has been a very moving thing to me. I thank all who were involved at any level in making this come about.

As we near Christmas, I am reminded in this of the gift of our savior. As I struggle to thank all those who have shown kindness to Martha and our family, I can see a comparison to how we struggle as Christians to thank God in any meaningful way. We want to thank him, but perhaps are not capable of doing so in a worthy manner! Even when we attempt to thank God for the gift of salvation, understanding what a struggle it was for Jesus to endure the cross and abandonment and death, we know that our efforts are not up to the task. We begin with the best of intentions, and can almost keep those intentions pure, but ultimately they fall short of even our own expectations.

Lets consider just how thankful we can be for simple gifts given in the most simple of ways, and apply that to how to give thanks to our Lord for all he has done for us. The simple gift was the gift of money when we needed it. A deeper gift was what God has done for us in the steady recovery of Martha's health and strength, and her return to her family. Deeper still, however, is the sure gift and eternal hope and peace of our savior.

In His Peace, and with great thanks!

John