Dregs

"But why do we get the old sofa and not the new one?" was the rather provocative question our vicar asked from the pulpit one Sunday morning.  A friend of mine, a vicar’s wife with small children also lamented the unwanted goods members of the congregation would donate and occasionally press on her.  "The last straw was the very large and grubby children’s toy lion that I was expected to gratefully receive and be thankful for. The insistent donor ‘s parting words: 'a bit of a clean up and it will be as good as new' was left ringing in my ears as this huge saggy lion, way past it’s best - its glass eyes  staring up at me – sat in my hall."

Sometimes our giving may be well-meaning, but may not be tactful, well thought-through or even biblical. How, why, when and to whom we give is not clear cut for any of us. Obviously we do give our old sofas and other unwanted goods away. I enjoy giving my favourite outgrown children’s clothes to friends and family and helping others out with curtains and soft furnishings, but is this really always sacrificial, godly giving? I think not, hence my vicar’s response to the old sofa. It is easy to mix up these kinds of donations with true sacrificial giving that the Bible talks about.

Set your mind on God’s kingdom and his justice before everything else, and all the rest will come to you as well. (Matthew 6:33, REV translation, 1990)

A few years ago my husband and I were part of a church building project and through sacrificial giving from the church family we were able to build a fantastic church centre that glorified God. For someone who loves beautiful surroundings, I loved the fact that the church could afford large oversized door frames made of oak, beautiful windows with bible verses expertly etched into the glass, a state of the art catering kitchen for 100, and a glass conservatory linking the church, offices and new centre (which created a wow factor for any visitor). The physical building transformed the church and now 15 years later the centre is still full of outreach groups both day and night. 

In the Old Testament, guidance on giving was to give the first fruits - that is the best of the harvest - the best lambs and the best bulls. God placed value on providing sacrificial gifts that were without defect (Exodus 12:5). In fact, the whole ‘Cain and Abel’ story came down to this very issue of giving sacrificially of your best (Genesis 4:1-16). Jesus also, was not averse to the best.  When Mary anointed him with oil, it was an outrageously expensive gift that she lavishly broke open and poured over her master – she even received criticism from some for her extravagance (Matthew 26:6-13). When Jesus turned the water into wine, it wasn’t some supermarket plonk, but as the banquet-master at the wedding said, the best had been kept until last (John 2:1-12).

We are called to be lavishly generous with our gifts. That doesn’t necessarily mean giving huge amounts, but it could mean giving the best of your time, the best of your energy, the best of your thoughts and the best of your gifts. Plan to spend time with someone; cook their favourite meal; go out of your way to say hello. Giving your best doesn’t necessarily have to require a huge gesture, but it is good to practise sacrificial giving. Next time, pause before you give away your dregs.

the challenge:

Have you ever given your dregs away to somebody? Take some time to think about what it would have looked like to have given your first fruits. What difference, if any, would it have made to that person?