One-Time Gifts

Gifts come in many forms and so generosity is measured on more than the scales of money and wealth. When I present my offerings at the Altar, it is in form of legal currency – cash, check, credit card. The time I spend caring for family members, friends, and neighbors, volunteering at the food panty etc. are gifts that do not get acknowledged by the church “Counters.” These precious gifts are not deductible, and as such, in my mind, do not factor into my giving equation. Sad, because these types of gifts often bring me the most joy and allow me to be Christ to another person in need.

Whether my gift is in the form of time, talent, or treasure; tangible or intangible, the action, the act of giving, sets into motion the paradox of faith. How is it that the giver receives more than the beneficiary of the gift? Ask a group of people returning from a mission trip if this is not true. We never know the full impact of our giving, either in scope or duration. The gift of the mission trip will change and impact lives for years to come. A living legacy.

In the physical world, dropping a small pebble in a lake produces small ripples and a large rock sends out a wake of ripples. This is true in the world of philanthropy as well. Large gifts shape and impact institutions long into the future.

Enter the paradox of our faith. The Holy Spirit makes the widow’s mite shake our worldview. The Holy Spirit turns the young boy’s gift of two fish into a feast for the 5000. These long ago small one-time gifts are still rocking our worlds and feeding our souls.

You and I make small and large gifts depending on our own circumstances. These one-time gifts, given in cooperation with the Holy Spirit and presented with love, draw us closer to Christ. At some point, we acknowledge, even confess, that it is Jesus who places the gift in our hands, and the encouraging kind words in our mouth.

As Holy Week fast approaches I am reminded of the one-time, the once and for all gift that forever changed our world. The gift was bathed in the humility of the Word becoming flesh, of washing feet, and suffering on the Cross. The one-time gift, in a moment of time, transcends the concepts of past and future into always now and forever. And so, the greatest gift comes to us in the Bread of Life and the Cup of Blessing.