Although we have come
to the end of this year’s Christmas season,
the joy of the season does not have to end. We can continue to experience the
joy of God’s gifts by continuing to deliver them.
We consistently experience
that dynamic at the UALC Garden—we receive joy as we go about the process of
delivering God’s gifts. I’m not just talking about the actual distribution of the
harvests, but also about the work that comes ahead of them. We find joy in that
work, even if it is sometimes difficult and sometimes done in less that ideal
weather. God simply works that way—He delivers that joy to us because He wants
us to keep delivering His gifts to others.
That dynamic is not
unique to the garden; it is present in all ministry that seeks to deliver God’s
love. Indeed, it is reflected in
scripture:
Blessed is anyone who cares for the poor
and the weak; in time of trouble Yahweh rescues him. 2Yahweh
protects him, gives him life and happiness on earth.
One who takes pity on the poor is
blessed.
Whoever is kind to the poor is lending
to Yahweh who will repay him the kindness done.
A kindly eye will earn a blessing
Give generously to the poor, so that
your blessing may lack nothing.
There is more happiness
in giving than in receiving.
You are more than
welcome to join in our joy when we start gardening again in the spring, but you
don’t have to wait until then. You can start today by using your speech and
your prayers to deliver God’s gifts. You can experience
it by diligently approaching your duties at your "day job" as a way
of delivering God’s goodness. You can look for opportunities to perform
corporal and spiritual acts of mercy. You
can get involved in ministries that do those kind of works on an organized
basis, wonderful groups like SON Ministries,
Lutheran Social Services, and Catholic Social Services.
The opportunities to experience the joy that comes from delivering God’s gifts
are all around us. We simply need to get to work. Then it can be Christmas all
year round.
No comments:
Post a Comment