UNFROZEN ~ Frozen Hearts

Whether it is unrest in Ferguson or the terror brought on by ISIS, the world is not what we would want it to be.  Love, justice and peace are hard to find.  There is uncertainty about our economy, growing tensions in the Middle East and Ebola continues to bring devastation and death to our brothers and sisters in Sierra Leone.  There seems to be less desire for God but a never ending appetite for entertainment and media and while we have more ways to be connected, we are making less real connections with the people who matter to us the most.  The end result of all this is anxiety, fear, disappointment and discouragement.  The end result is frozen hearts that struggle to give and receive love and find hope.  While things might look dark around us and in us, the world today isn’t that different from the world Jesus entered 2000 years ago.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Israel was occupied by the Roman Empire which didn’t give God’s people a lot of freedom or stability.  The Roman government taxed the people of Israel heavily and so between their taxes and their offerings to God, the rich seemed to get richer but most people struggled to survive from day to day.  Sound familiar?  Life was hard and people had a hard time seeing God working around them which meant they struggled to understand and accept God’s love and find hope.  Like many people today, their hearts were frozen.

The world of Jesus, however, wasn’t that different from the world 700 years before Jesus because at that point in time God’s people also faced huge challenges and deep darkness.  As a nation, Israel faced such deep internal struggles that they had split into two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Judah and the Kingdom of Israel.  A series of good and then bad kings weakened the faith and stability of each kingdom which meant that they faced growing threats from the nations around them: Assyria to the north and Egypt to the south.  There was ongoing anxiety, discouragement, fear and disappointment and the people wondered where God was in the midst of it all.  Their hearts were frozen but God didn’t abandon them to the cold.

Around 745 BC, when Israel was divided and facing almost certain destruction from the Assyrians, God called a prophet named Isaiah to go and speak to his people and for close to 50 years God spoke through Isaiah.  Some of God’s messages were pretty harsh and honest about what was going on and how people had failed and needed to open their eyes to what they were doing and how they needed to change their attitudes and actions toward God and others, but other messages were filled with love and hope.  God reached out to the frozen hearts of his people and through Isaiah God assured them that He had not forgotten them and that no matter what, God still loved them.  God had not forsaken his people but promised to send them someone to help.  God promised them a savior.  Look at Isaiah 9:2-7.

God knew his people were walking in darkness. He knew they were struggling to find their way, wrestling with doubt and fear and that on their own they weren’t going to make it.  God knew that their darkness wasn’t going to be overcome unless he sent them light or help so God promised to send them a savior who would be a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.  Each of these titles would have given hope to God’s people and been an encouragement to them to keep going.

The people knew they needed a counselor who could help them make sense out of all the confusion and chaos they were living in daily.  They needed guidance and direction from a divinely appointed leader who could help them in this world and not the kings who would come and go and rule in their own strength and wisdom.  They needed a Mighty God who could lead them against the strong armies of their enemies.  They needed an Everlasting Father who would nurture them and care for them and they longed for a Prince of Peace who would establish a reign and rule of peace and prosperity that would allow them to experience all in life that God said he had for them.  This message of a Savior encouraged God’s people; it brought light into their darkness and it started to thaw hearts that had been frozen by fear and discouragement.

So it was God’s word through Isaiah and the promise of a savior that brought hope to God’s people but that hope didn’t last.  When the promised Savior didn’t come quickly, the people once again got discouraged.   When God’s promise wasn’t fulfilled fast enough, the people grew impatient and their impatience led to hearts once again growing cold.  Does that sound familiar?

While the promise of God here to help us brings encouragement, when the help doesn’t come when we want it and how we want it, we get impatient.  Doubt creeps in.  Discouragement enters and begins to freeze our hearts and that is what happened to God’s people in the days of Isaiah.  Their hearts grew cold and so God’s response was to keep sending them His word to remind the people of his promise.  Throughout his life, Isaiah told the people that God would send a Savior.  He told them repeatedly that God’s hand would help them and then when Isaiah died God sent other prophets who stepped in and continued to share this message of hope.  From generation to generation God kept speaking to His people telling them that a Savior would come.  God kept sending hope because the people continued to need it.  For 700 years God reminded his people about the promise of savior and that promise kept their hearts and faith from freezing solid.

When Jesus finally arrived in Bethlehem he was that word God promised through Isaiah come in the flesh.  Look at John 1:1-5.  So the word of God spoken through Isaiah was now flesh and blood and lying in a manger and the light of God began to shine in the world in a new way.  Jesus was the light of God and his presence and love thawed the frozen hearts and lives of God’s people.  In Jesus, people could now see the power and love of God making a difference.  They saw people healed and restored.  They saw the power of forgiveness lift people up and reconcile families and change communities.  They saw good triumph over evil and even life over death so that the cold hardness of their hearts began to melt away and people began to experience the love of God.  The promise of God which had encouraged people for 700 years was now the son of God in the flesh which brought people life.  Hearts were unfrozen.
That’s what I love about reading the gospels and hearing the stories of Jesus.  There is so much passion in Jesus that it sets people on fire and brings them life.  There is such a radical life changing love of God that Jesus brings to people that it changes everything.  The fire of God’s love melted hearts and lives and communities and as people came to Jesus they experienced the fullness of life and the fullness of joy and the fullness of God’s kingdom.

But the problem we face today is that the person of Jesus didn’t remain in this world.  After his death and resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven and God sent the Holy Spirit into the world so that the power of God could now dwell with us and as Jesus ascended he promised that he would come again.  It has been 2,000 years and Jesus has not yet come back and while the Holy Spirit is here to help us and guide us and care for us, we get impatient and our doubt and fears grow and we get discouraged and the growing darkness causes our hearts to grow cold and just like in the days of Isaiah our hearts freeze over.  While the promise of our Savior returning brings hope, our waiting brings doubt and anxiety and so our frozen hearts ask, “Where is God?  Where is God’s love and grace?  Where is God’s goodness and power?”

Where is God?  God is right here.  Jesus made a promise that when he left this world that he would still be with us.  Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  So God is right here.  The single light of the advent wreath reminds us that in the midst of the darkness of doubt and fear, God is right here.  In the midst of the disappointment and despair we so often see around us, God is right here.  In the midst of our own frustration that life and family and job and friends aren’t what we want them to be, God is right here.

At times our hearts and lives may feel cold and frozen, but the light of God brings warmth and a fire which can melt our hearts and change our lives but only if we will allow it to.  Our hearts can only become unfrozen if we will allow God to love us and forgive us.  It is love that casts out fear, it is love that overcomes doubt, it love that lifts despair and it is love that softens and melts hearts and it has always been God’s love that has done this.

It wasn’t just God’s word that brought people hope, it was also God’s love because it was God’s love that brought forth the word of hope.  Why do you think God spoke into the darkness of His people 700 years before Jesus?  It was because God loved them and God made this clear to his people through Isaiah.  God didn’t just send messages about a coming Savior, he sent them messages about his never failing love.
Isaiah 41:9-10,
Isaiah 43:1-3a,
Isaiah 54:10

It is God’s love that melts frozen hearts.  It was God’s love through the words of Isaiah, God’s love through the word made flesh in Jesus and God’s love with us today that melts our frozen hearts.  God’s love is always here, always available and always powerful enough to help us through whatever it is we are going through and in this season of Advent as we think about the coming of Jesus in Bethlehem and the coming again of Jesus into our world we are reminded that it is the love of God seen most clearly in the person of Jesus that brings us hope and life.  The apostle John said that there is no greater love than this, that we lay down our lives for our friends and that is what God did for us in Jesus and when we believe this and accept God’s love for ourselves – it brings us life.  It is this love of God spoken through the prophets and lived through Jesus that can be accepted into our hearts and lives and when it arrives, it melts and thaws and changes forever our frozen hearts.

Sometimes God provides just the right illustration at just the right time to communicate his message and he did that yesterday.  What does the love of God thawing frozen hearts in this world look like today?  It looks like this:

Portland OR Police Officer giving hug to African American boy in wake of Ferguson Protests.

Love breaks through fear, mistrust, hatred and despair and love brings hope.  This is what love unfreezing hearts looks like today and it is the light shining in the darkness.  Thank God his love is still alive.
Next Steps
Frozen Hearts

1.  What are the fears, doubts and disappointments that keep your heart frozen?

2.  God tried to thaw the hearts of his people Israel by giving them a message about a Savior through the Prophet Isaiah.  Read and reflect on how these words brought hope to God’s people then and how they continue to bring hope to us today
• Isaiah 7:14
• Isaiah 9:2-7
• Isaiah 11:1-16
• Isaiah 40:1-14, 25-31
• Isaiah 61:1-7.

3.  What does it mean to call Jesus a Wonderful Counselor? Mighty God?  Everlasting Father?  Prince of Peace?

4.  What do these names mean for you?  How has Jesus been your Counselor and Father?  How has He brought you peace?

5.  God helped thaw the hearts of His people by giving them a message of hope.  Take time during this Advent season to read God’s word of hope (the Bible) every day.  Use the family advent devotions (available in the lobby) as a guide for daily Bible reading.

6.  Share God’s message of hope with someone this week.


The people walking darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.
Isaiah 9:2

G.I.V.E. ~ Effective

All month we have been talking about those things that help us GIVE.  Knowing that when we are generous we will be healthier and happier can move us to give.  We are often inspired to give by those we have seen live generous lives and when we have a vision of how our giving can change us and others and actually work to bring about God’s kingdom, it motivates to give and at times give sacrificially.  Jesus had this amazing ability to do all of this in people’s lives.  Last week we heard about how Zacchaeus was willing to give away half his possessions and pay back anyone whom he cheated 4 times the amount because Jesus helped him see a vision of who he could be and how God wanted him to live his life.  Jesus inspired people and helped them see a vision of God’s kingdom and the potential for their lives which moved them to give generously.  But there is one more thing Jesus was able to do which motivated people to give – he showed them that their giving was effective.  When people gave, it made a difference in their lives, the lives of others and even the larger community in which they lived.  When we know that our gifts will be effective, we will feel better about giving and in turn be more willing to give.

Today we have blessed and will send hundreds of shoeboxes to children around the world and one of the reasons we can so easily collect all these is because we know that each box will make a difference in the life of a child.  Each and every box will be opened by child who will be filled with joy and gratitude and appreciation.  Each box will be effective in changing the heart and life of a child and because it is given in Jesus’ name and contains information about the love of God and the gift of Jesus, the box can be effective in changing a child’s entire life and outlook and future.  The reason we don’t have to push Operation Christmas Child and work hard to encourage people to give to this is because we know our giving here will be effective.  We give when we know our giving will be effective and make a difference.

We are able to collect 500 cans of sweet potatoes because we know that the food boxes will make a difference in the life of a family this Christmas.  We know the food bank does a great job in screening families to make sure those in need get food and we know that most of the food is donated so it is an effective way for us to help feed those who are hungry

We will work hard to serve hundreds of meals on Christmas Day and we will do it with joy and enthusiasm because we know our giving to the Christmas Day dinner makes a difference in the lives of people who have nowhere else to go.  We have heard the stories of people who have said if it wasn’t for the church, they would have no one to talk to, no one to eat with, no one to be with on Christmas Day; so we know our giving there makes a difference.  It also makes a difference in the lives of the people who come here to help.  Remember giving generously brings health and happiness which means giving makes an effective difference in our lives.  Last year a family volunteered to help at the dinner just a few weeks after the sudden death of a family member.  They needed to not only be with other people they wanted and needed to help other people on Christmas Day so they came to serve in the dining room and just being here to help others made a real difference in their lives.

This church gave a lot to establish the Faith Centre and continues to give a lot to keep it going and we do this because we know that our giving makes a real difference in this community.  The Faith Centre is THE place where anyone and everyone who has a need goes to get help.  There have been people who have showed up at the Faith Centre when their water broke and they started to go into labor and the reason they went there is that they knew someone would help them.  That ministry makes a difference in our community and so we continue to support them and many of you support them with your time, energy, gifts and donations.

People want to give and are willing to be generous if we know that our giving is making a difference and the reason Jesus was able to call people to give so much of their lives to God and to his mission to bring forth the kingdom of God was because they could see that giving to Jesus was effective.  Giving to Jesus made a difference.  Look at John 6:5-14.
The last line there says that the people saw this as a miracle; they saw that Jesus was able to take this small gift of 5 loaves and 2 fish and feed thousands of people.  When we give to Jesus it makes a difference.  It also makes a difference in our lives – think about that little boy watching his gift feed so many people.  You have to believe it motivated him to give at other points in time in his life.  When we see our gifts change people’s lives it moves us to give joyfully and generously.

Jesus also shows us that our gifts to others can make a difference.  One day some men came together to give their paralyzed friend some help and so they picked the man up and carried him to Jesus.  When they couldn’t get through the crowd they carried the man to the roof and dug their way through and lowered him in front of Jesus and the Bible says that when Jesus saw their faith, he healed the man.  It was when Jesus saw the faith and the hard work and determination of the friends that he healed the man.  In that moment those men knew that their giving was effective – it made a real and lasting difference in the life of their friend.

So when people gave money or possessions to Jesus, he used those gifts effectively and changed situations and lives and when people gave their time to Jesus or to people in need, those gifts also made a difference.  People also gave their lives to Jesus because they knew that following Jesus and living for him would be more effective than living without Jesus and following their own way.  The disciples followed Jesus and gave him all they had because Jesus was making a difference in their lives.  They found more purpose and satisfaction in following Jesus than in fishing or tax collecting or any other job they had.  Giving to Jesus made a difference in their lives and so they kept on giving.

But it’s not just giving to the person of Jesus that is effective, so is giving to God through the church and from the very beginning of the church there has been a call to support it with our gifts.  In Acts 2 we find the church has just been formed and the people started to pool their resources for the work of the church - Acts 2:42-47.  
So worship, mission, outreach and fellowship were all supported by the gifts of the people and people gave to the church because they knew that what they were doing was making a difference in their lives, the lives of those around them.  They knew that giving to the church was changing people’s lives, look at verse 47(b) – the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.  People continued to give not because they were ordered to or because it was the new law of the church, they gave because God was calling them to give and because they knew their gifts to the church were effective in all kinds of ways.

My hope and prayer is that people still see giving to the church as an effective way to change people’s lives, change communities and change the world.  Beyond shoeboxes, sweet potatoes and the Christmas Dinner, giving to the church is effective because like Jesus, what we seek to do in the church is to change people’s hearts and lives.  Think about it, Jesus did provide food for the crowds, but he also taught people that it is important to trust God for what we need.  And while Jesus did heal people physically, he also taught people the importance of living in ways that bring healing and hope into our lives and the lives of others.  Jesus taught us to forgive and to seek forgiveness which can heal us in ways doctors and medicine and surgery can’t.

While Jesus often called us to change our actions what he really wanted was a change of heart and that is something we can do which few other organizations and institutions can.  While the government can feed people – they can’t tell people about the God who provides us with all the food and who will always care for us if we will trust in Him.  Schools can educate but they can’t tell children about the God who loves them so much that he has a purpose for them and a plan to prosper them if they will trust Him.  And health care might get us to doctors and hospitals but the affordable care act does not bring hope and healing like Jesus can.  What the church has to offer is a relationship with God that can make a real and lasting and eternal difference in people’s lives and that is what Jesus offered and that is what we as the body of Christ today can still offer.
So it’s important for us to give to the church because what we do is helping shape people’s hearts and lives and teach the next generation that living the way Jesus shows us and teaches us makes a real difference.  This week I heard from a couple who said “having Mark come up and share helped us to start thinking about ways to encourage our child to begin developing a lifestyle of generosity.”  That’s the power and importance of the church.  We can model for one another what living for God looks like with the hope that our lives will inspire, encourage and cast a vision of how others can follow Jesus.  We are seeking to do what government and social agencies can’t do and that is establish a faith and trust in God that shapes values and morals that can improve people’s lives and the world in which we live.

A few years ago we were offered a chance to partner with head start in our daycare, but if we did there were going to be certain times when we weren’t going to be able to talk about God.  We said, thanks, but no thanks.  Talking about God whenever and however we wanted to and needed to is important to who we are.  It is what sets us apart from other organizations and we aren’t going to compromise on that.  Talking about God can bring more lasting and eternal changes to the hearts and lives of children and families and that is more effective than anything else we do.  Families from our daycare and playschool say that their children are coming home and saying grace before a meal and they say the ones they have learned here.  Teaching children about Jesus in VBS, Sunday School and Children’s Church makes a difference in the lives of our children and their families and it is make a real difference in our life as a church and in the community in which we live.  

I can tell you that giving to the church so that we can come together to show the community the love of Jesus is making a difference in this community.  I hear about it all the time.  Many leaders in the community say to me that this church is making a difference.  Parents tell me that this church is making a difference in the lives of children, youth and families.  What we are seeking to do in Sierra Leone is making a difference in a nation that is being torn apart again and is going to struggle once Ebola is contained to rebuild.  Giving to the church is effective.  Yes, sometimes our giving to the church is to keep the lights on and the carpets cleaned and the ministry going, but the life of Faith Church is making a difference in this community.  We are being effective both here and around the world and so we can give with confidence that our gifts of time, energy, prayers and money are all worthwhile.

While this is not a specific call for us to all give more to the church, it is a reminder that God has shown us that generous giving to God through the church is the way God wants to work in the world.  Giving to the church is one of the most effective ways we can give because what we do here makes a difference in people’s lives and it makes a real difference in families and our community and communities around the world and it makes an eternal difference in all of our souls.  We are created in the image of God and the very first thing God did was to give – to give light and life to the this world.  So it is in our spiritual DNA to give.  We were created to give and wired to give and Jesus knew this which is why he called people to give.

God’s giving made a difference and so Jesus knew that people wanted to give in ways that would also make a difference so he showed us how our gifts of food, money, time and faith are effective and the more we give the more we will receive.  The more we give the more of an inspiration we will be and the more we give the more of a vision of God’s kingdom we lift up for others to see.  So the more we GIVE the more our lives become an invitation and inspiration for others to GIVE.


Next Steps
G.I.V.E ~ Effective

1.  Read and reflect on how Jesus shows us that giving to God and others is an effective use of time, faith, money, possessions and lives:
• Matthew 4:18-22 – The calling of the fishermen
• Luke 17-26 – Jesus heals the paralytic
• John 6:5-14 – A boy gives his lunch
• Acts 2:42-47, 4:32-35 – The church gives to others

2.  Identify ways in which giving to the church is effective.  How does the church help change lives?  Families?  Our Community?  World?

3. During the following weeks, here are some ways to give to God and others that can make a difference:
• Attend next Sunday’s Essence of Joy concert
• Donate food, money or pies to the Christmas Dinner
• Volunteer to help with the Christmas Dinner
• Support the Faith Centre (Food Bank, toys for tots)
• Consider alternative gift giving and donate money to the church or charities instead of giving gifts
• Set aside money for the Christmas Eve Offering which will go to Sierra Leone
• Support a needy family through the holidays
• Commit to being in worship through Advent as a gift of time and worship to God

4. Giving Thanks is always an effective use of our time in prayer.  Set aside time this week to say thank you to God.

Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon His name; make known His deed among the people. 
1 Chronicles 16:8

In everything, give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.  
1 Thessalonians 5:18

G.I.V.E. ~ Vision

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and it has nothing to do with the Turkey, stuffing, football or shopping, it has to do with the story of the Pilgrims.  While political correctness has tried to rewrite the events of those who came over on the Mayflower, I still find their story inspiring.  Here was a group of people who were willing to give everything they had to start life over in a new land.  They faced the hardships of weather and disease that in the first year claimed the lives of half their company.  What inspires me about their story is the hard work needed in order to survive in the new land but also the generosity of the Native Americans who in many ways were their salvation, but what really inspires me is thinking about what caused them to leave England in the first place - vision.

The pilgrims had a vision of what it would be like to live in freedom.  They wanted to worship freely and live freely and it was this vision of freedom and faith that moved them to give up all that they knew and the comfort of their homes and family and the assurance of food and safety in order to set sail for the new world.  Why I like their story so much is because they teach us that we will be willing to give if we have a clear and compelling vision.  Whether it is our time, money, energy, possessions or even life itself, we will give and give generously when we have a strong and clear vision.    

Today I want us to look at 3 biblical stories where vision helped people to give.   Now when I talk about vision I am not talking about those things we can see with our eyes, I’m talking about what God helps us see by faith.  Vision is seeing the better future God has for us and there are several ways God can help us see this.  In one story a man saw a problem so gave what he had to solve the problem; in another a man saw potential for his life and the world so he gave what he had to make a difference and in the third story a man saw a person and gave all he had to bring hope and salvation to the world.  In all three stories, however, it was a God inspired vision that caused each of them to give and to give generously.  The first story is about Nehemiah.

In 586 BC, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians.  The temple was destroyed and the walls of Jerusalem were torn down.  Most of the Jewish people were carried off in chains and lived in captivity.  About 50 years later the Babylonian Empire was taken over by the Persians and in 516, 70 years after the temple had been destroyed, the people of Israel were allowed to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple.  The city of Jerusalem, however, still laid in ruins and the walls, which were there to give the people protection, had not been rebuilt.  70 years after the Temple had been rebuilt, Artaxerxes was king of Persia and Nehemiah was his cup bearer.  Nehemiah was a from a Jewish family that had been living in Persia since the fall of Jerusalem and when he heard that the city of Jerusalem still laid in ruins and that the walls had not been rebuilt, it broke his heart.  Nehemiah 1:2-4.

Nehemiah saw a problem.  It was a disgrace for the city of God to be unprotected and lying in ruins and it was this vision that stirred his heart.  Nehemiah wanted to do something to solve the problem and so he began to give.  He started by giving his time to God in prayer, and then through prayer God gave him faith that something could be done and a solution to the problem was found.  Nehemiah led a group of people to Jerusalem where they began to rebuild the walls.  Because of his position as a cup bearer to the king, Nehemiah was able to ask the king for help, and the king was moved by Nehemiah’s passion and vision so he not only gave him permission to go but he also gave him resources needed to rebuild the walls.

Sometimes it’s the problems we see that cause us to give.  We haven’t seen firsthand the problems and effect of Ebola on the lives of people in Sierra Lenoe, but we have seen with our hearts and so people have started to give.  When the Bishop says the situation is hopeless and that his people, our people, God’s people are starving, we have a vision of helping solve the problem in any way we can.  We haven’t seen firsthand the people in our own community who are hungry but we can see them in our hearts and minds and so are willing to give.  We won’t see the children who will receive the shoeboxes we are putting together, but we have a vision in our hearts of 500 children experiencing joy and so we give.  Many times it is the problems that we see that move us to give our time, money, faith and lives and so we give to be part of the solution.

It wasn’t until someone told Nehemiah about the situation in Jerusalem that he saw the problem and sometimes we don’t see great problems around us until someone tells us.  So let me share with you a problem.  Do you know that in our county the number of people who claim to be non-religious is growing?  The population is growing and the number of people who claim no faith at all is growing.  Worship attendance in UMC churches in our county is also declining.  While our attendance is up and has been up every year for the past 7 years, the same is not true for our county.  Are we willing to open our eyes and hearts and see this problem?  Like Nehemiah, the problem can lead to a vision to solve it if but only if we are willing to give.  The first thing Nehemiah did was pray and so maybe we need to just start praying and ask God to show us how we can be part of solving this problem.  Problems can lead to a vision of solving the problem which in turn can lead us to give.

The second story about how vision moves us and energizes us to give is about a tax collector named Zacchaeus.  If you grew up going to church or VBS than what you know about Zacchaeus was that he was a wee little man.  He was short and yet he wanted to see Jesus so he climbed up into a tree to watch as Jesus passed by.  This is from Luke 19:1-9,  

What happened to Zacchaeus during dinner that moved him to give away half of his possessions and pay back anyone he had cheated?  It was a vision of God’s kingdom.  Just by going to Zacchaeus home, Jesus made a statement about who Zacchaeus was.  He was not a hated tax collector who had no place in God’s family and no part in God’s kingdom; he was a child of Abraham.  Jesus opened Zacchaeus’ eyes and the eyes of his heart to see the full God given potential of what his life could be and what the kingdom of God was all about.  Zacchaeus could now see that the life God wants us to live is filled with acceptance and forgiveness and that we all need to work to make things right.  It was this vision that moved Zacchaeus to seek forgiveness and offer restitution.  It was a vision of God’s kingdom and the potential of a new life that was so compelling that Zacchaeus willingly gave all he had to see it become a reality.

Seeing the potential that God has for us and for our world can move us to give.  We give to the food bank and work hard to feed people on Christmas Day because we see the potential this ministry has to bring about God’s kingdom.  We know that what we do in Jesus’ name can and will change people and our community so we give to make the potential of God’s kingdom a reality.  We forgive people and we ask people to forgive us because we see the potential of what forgiveness can do in our families and n our community.  We work to help people and offer hope to people because of the potential power that brings to our world.

Jesus was the master of helping people see the kingdom of God and getting people excited about this vision so that they would willingly gave themselves to it.  Zacchaeus gave away most of his money to help make things right in his life and because it was what the kingdom of God was all about.  The disciples gave away jobs and careers because they saw greater potential in following Jesus.  They found more personal satisfaction for their own lives in following Jesus so they gave.  When we have a vision of what God can do in us and through us, it will move us to give and give generously.

Sometimes I get excited when I think about the potential of Faith Church.  When I look at what you have done in the past and the potential of what God can do through us in the future it motivates me to give.  We can build a school in Sierra Leone and partner with a Big Ten University to make it a success.  We can spread the gospel of Jesus Christ right here as we encourage our brothers and sisters to do the same thing on the other side of the globe.  We can change the heart of a child through 500 shoeboxes filled with gifts, we can feed our community on Christmas Day and we can live more fully and give more generously.  We can do all this because we have a vision of what God can do in us – we see God’s potential.
So the vision of a problem or the vision of God’s potential can cause us to give, but sometimes it is a person who causes us to give and that was true for Thomas.  Thomas was the disciple who was not in the upper room when Jesus first appeared after his resurrection.  All the rest of the disciples got to see Jesus alive and standing in front of them and that vision changed them, but Thomas didn’t get to see Jesus alive and so he couldn’t believe it was true.  A week later Jesus appeared again and this time Thomas was there and the vision of the risen Jesus forever changed Thomas.  John 20:26-28

This vision of Jesus changed Thomas forever and it moved him to give all he had.  It is believed that Thomas left this encounter with Jesus and at some point traveled East, all the way to India where he shared with the people his vision of the risen Jesus.  Thomas called them to place their faith and trust in Jesus as their Lord and God.  Many did and generations later when missionaries arrived in India they were surprised to find Christians who knew about Jesus and a man named Thomas who shared with them his vision of the risen son of God.  So the person of Jesus changed Thomas.

When we get a clear vision of Jesus it changes everything and while we won’t physically see Jesus standing in front of us like Thomas did (at least I never have), we can still see him in faith and trust.  Look at what Jesus says to Thomas – John 20:29.  We don’t physically see Jesus, but we can still have a vision of this person that can change us and excite us and cause us to give.  When we see Jesus in the scriptures, in prayer, in the world around us, in the problems and potential God has shown us, it will change us and move us to give in ways we never thought we would or could.  Everyone who encountered the person of Jesus gave.  It started at the manger where shepherds gave their praise to God and it ended after the resurrection where Thomas gave his future to God.  A vision of Jesus will move us to give and give all we have.

Without a vision of who God is, what God is doing and what God wants to do in us and in the world around us, we might give some but we won’t give all.  Generosity comes with vision.  Inspiration comes with a clear and compelling vision.  Giving requires vision and what can move us to give is seeing problems, potential and the person of Jesus.  May God open our eyes and the eyes of heart so we may see Jesus and the potential of God’s Kingdom and our lives.  

Next Steps
G.I.V.E. ~ Vision

God can develop His vision for us when we see
problems, potential or people.

1. Problems
• Read the story of Nehemiah’s found in Nehemiah 1-6,
• What problems in the community has God helped you see?
• What might be some solutions to these problem?
• What is God calling you to give in order to be part of the solution?
• What one step could you take to move forward this week?
• Pray for solutions and the courage to give.

2. Potential
• Read the story of Zacchaeus found in Luke 19:1-10.
• In the Lord’s Prayer we pray, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.  What aspect of God’s kingdom would you like to see formed in this world?   In our community?
• What can you give to make that potential become reality?
• What God given potential can be realized in your life and what do you need to give to make it happen?

3. Person
• Read the story of Thomas found in John 20:26-29.
• Why did seeing Jesus cause Thomas to give?
• Where and when have you seen Jesus and how did this vision change your vision of yourself or the world?
• How has seeing Jesus caused you to give?  

G.I.V.E. ~ Inspiration

As we approach thanksgiving we are looking at what it means to GIVE and I have identified four ideas that are fundamental in helping us understand why we give, how to give more, what happens when we do give and how to encourage those around us to give.  Those four ideas are Generosity, Inspiration, Vision, and Effectiveness.  Last week we learned that the more we give – the more we receive.  The more generous we are with our money, possessions and time, the more we receive those things that money can’t buy like happiness, health and a greater sense of meaning and purpose in life.  So while money can’t make us happy, giving it away can and the more we give the better off we are.

The question that the book The Paradox of Generosity and our look at giving last week didn’t answer is why people give in the first place.  What breathes life into our generosity?  What influences us to take those things God has given to us and freely give them away?  In a tight economy with an uncertain financial future – why give away our money?  When we are already too busy, why volunteer more of our time?  While giving might end up helping us feel better in the long run, we usually don’t just wake up one day and decide to give our lives away - something inspires us.  The word inspiration means influence or an action that causes us to do something.  It’s the motivating force behind what we do and how we live.  It’s what breathes life into our actions and helps us do things we might not normally do.  Most people who are generous and have embraced a lifetime of giving have been inspired in some way and many times their giving is then an inspiration to others.

While I can’t say that I planned it this way, it is very appropriate for us to be talking about inspiration today because in two days we will be celebrating Veterans Day and in many ways our nations Veterans are an inspiration to all of us.  Men and women who have been willing to sacrifice time with families and time spent building their careers so that they could serve our nation and the cause of freedom around the world inspire us to give back to our communities.  The giving of our veterans from generation to generation should be an inspiration for us to give our lives in selfless and sacrificial ways.
But it’s not just Veterans who inspire us, it’s all kinds of people.  The greatest influence on our giving and our greatest inspiration to live generous lives comes from the example of generous people we have seen give.  We are inspired by the people who have given in ways that have touched us and we are influenced by role models that have shown us what it means to give. Who has inspired you in life?  Who has shown you what generosity looks like?  Who challenges you to give more of your time, energy and money to causes larger than yourself?  In my life, 2 of those people have been my parents.

Last week as I thought about how generosity makes us happier and healthier two very specific people came to my mind – my Mom and Dad.  My parents are both in the earlier 80’s and while they have each had to battle some health issues during the lives, today they are healthy and happy.  They also have a strong sense of personal fulfillment and purpose in their lives and it’s clear to me that much of this comes from lives of giving.  My parents have given freely and abundantly of their time and money my entire life and so last week I could clearly see that they were generous people but I wondered how they got that way, so I asked them what made them generous.  I wanted to know what influenced them to embrace a lifestyle of giving.  What inspired them.

My mom was pretty clear that her inspiration came from her family.  Her parents gave generously in many ways.  My Mom shared that her father was involved in helping raise money for the United Way and the Community Chest in Hartford, CT.  During WWII he worked with the Citizen’s Service Corp. which sent people out into the country to solve problems and keep industry and community activities going while so many men where overseas. My Grandfather acted as an advisor and mentor to many of these young men, and he took an interest in their lives and even invited some of them into their home while they were serving in the area.

My grandmother was also an active volunteer in many areas.  She served on the Board of Education and worked to get a phone installed into the local school house.  She helped a door to door salesman open a grocery store during WWII because the man couldn’t get gas rations to keep travelling.  She volunteered with the Red Cross during the war folding bandages, knitting sweaters, scarves and caps and also recruiting others to knit.  She taught school students how to knit squares for afghans that were then given to the wounded service men and women.

So the inspiration for my mother to give was watching her parents give.  She saw how much they gave, she saw the meaning and purpose it brought to their lives and she learned the value of giving back to the community.  My mother was inspired by her parents and so throughout her life she has given her time and energy to all kinds of activities from the church to the school where she worked as a teacher and to the community at large.  Today she still volunteers at her church and in her community and she says the reason she does is because it was what she learned – it was the atmosphere in which she grew up.  Many of us could tell a similar story.  What inspires us to give is the atmosphere in which we grew up.  Watching others give and seeing what giving has done in the lives of our parents or grandparents moves us and influences us to give.

My Dad’s reflections on giving were a little different.  While his parents were faithful to their church and helped out many in their extended family, volunteering in the community wasn’t something he saw a lot of growing up but it was the environment in which he worked.  As a minister, my Dad was expected to be involved in community activities so he joined the Kiwanis and served on the board of the local Red Cross.  He was the head of the local Juvenile Detention Center Chaplaincy Program and was the Chaplain for a local Nursing School.  So my Dad learned to give his time and volunteer through his own calling and career as a minister but then he said something I found interesting.  He said, “most of my professional work has been in places that are heavily dependent on volunteers and I came to understand their importance to our mission.  And, it seemed like they were really enjoying it.”

Some of the inspiration in my Dad’s life of generosity came from seeing others give their time and money to the work that was important to him.  Working in areas that relied on volunteers all his life, my Dad knew that in retirement he wanted to give back and he has.  Today he drives for meals on wheels; works with habitat for humanity and helps serve meals at a soup kitchen.  While all of this volunteering brings him personal satisfaction and helps keep him going, he also said that giving his time is really a matter of personal stewardship.  Giving is a way of being faithful to God.  He echoes something that we try to say here often, our giving to God is really just our giving back to God what he has already given us.  We are being good stewards of the gifts of time, money, possessions and gifts God has given to us.

So in my very non-scientific survey of 2 people, what inspired them to give was watching and learning from others who gave and from reflecting on what it means to be faithful to God – who gave us all we have and was willing to give all he had for us.  Why this is important to me is because what inspires me to give and what motivates many of us to give our time and money is watching and learning from others who give and reflecting on what it means to be faithful to God who gave us all we have.  We are most often inspired to give by the stories and the lives of generous people.  So who has inspired you?  Can you tell their story to others and learn how it is they have shaped your lives and your giving?  It’s important to understand how generous people inspire others and who has inspired us because as we follow their example – we in turn inspire others.

In every church I have served there have been generous people who have inspired me to give and who have taught me lessons on what it means to give freely and abundantly.  I hope and pray that in some ways I am learning to follow their example.  In Altoona there was a woman I stopped to visit one day as she was recovering from an illness.  It was the first time I had been in her home and I very quickly realized that she didn’t have much to live on.  It was almost noon and on her stove was a small pot of soup which was her lunch and she invited me to share it with her.  As I looked around I realized she didn’t have much more to eat, but she insisted I stay and she divided that little pot of soup between two bowls and we had lunch together.  Edna taught me that no matter how much or how little we have, we can still give.  It was humbling and yet a powerful lesson I continue to try and follow.

In Lewisburg there was a couple that helped look out for a two older women in the church who had little or no family.  They not only visited them faithfully, but they helped them when it came time to move into nursing homes.  This couple gave a lot of their time to help walk these two women through some really difficult situations and illnesses.  No matter what came along, this couple was there for them and they never expected or wanted anything in return.  Larry and ClaraEllen taught me that giving our time sometimes means being willing to get deeply involved and even messy in order to help others.  Giving to others calls for commitment, dedication and sacrifice which can often extend for years.

Today I want to tell you about the inspired giving of a man from this church.  Alan Blakeslee was a very quiet and unassuming man who usually sat 4 or 5 rows back on the left side.  He was kind, gracious and faithful to the church throughout his life.  Alan died last summer and I have to say that I have never been as surprised at a funeral as I was at Alan’s.  While we all knew Alan as a quiet and gracious man, when the people he worked with got up and spoke about him they shared a very powerful story.  Alan was a creative genius.  He didn’t look at situations and see limitations, he saw opportunities.  Alan worked at ChemCut most of his life and created all kinds of tools and machines.  His coworkers talked about all the patents he held because he invented things that others thought were impossible.  In fact, after Alan invented something at work people came to him and said that what he invented couldn’t be done.  His reply was, no one told me that – so I went ahead and did it.

Perhaps the greatest invention Alan made that he should have gotten a patent for was a machine that would stir chex mix while it was baking in his oven.  Apparently Alan loved chex mix but didn’t like taking it out of the oven every 10 minutes to stir so he built some kind of a stirring machine and installed it in his oven.  I don’t know about you – but I would consider buying something like that.

What we want to share with you today is the story of Alan’s generosity.  When Alan died he gave away over half of his estate.  He gave 30% to the Cancer Center at Mt. Nittany Hospital, his wife died of cancer many years ago and it was a way for him to honor her.  He also gave 17 ½ % of his estate to two churches that were both important to him.  One of those churches was Faith Church and so a few months ago we received $450,000 in a trust to be invested and used over the next decade or more to help improve our church buildings and grounds.  Alan was an inspire man who used his creativity, gifts and skills to move his company forward and now his generosity is going to help move forward this church forward.

Alan was inspired to give and while he wouldn’t have wanted a big deal made over his gift, we share the story of his generosity today as a means of inspiration.  If what influences us to give is watching and learning from others, then we need to share the stories of how other people give.  The giving of others cannot be a reason for us to stop giving, we can’t say that because Alan has given generously to Faith Church that we no longer need to give.  That would be like looking at our Veterans and saying that since they served the nation with their lives, we don’t need to.  What we need to do is allow Alan’s generosity to be an inspiration to us.  How can his giving inspire us to give?  How can the story of his generosity spur us on to be generous with what God has given to us?

Seeing people’s generosity inspires us and sharing stories of generous giving has always been something that inspires others to give which is why Jesus pointed out the giving other others and wanted their stories shared.  In fact, Jesus told a story about one person’s generosity that just might be responsible for more giving throughout history than any other single story and Jesus told the story so that others would be inspired to give, that story is found in Luke 21:1-4.
Jesus lifted up one woman’s Generosity as means of Inspiration.  She was willing to give and by sharing her story Jesus is inspiring us us to give.  When we are willing to give in simple and generous ways – without seeking reward or recognition – God will use us to influence others.  We have  been inspired by others, may our lives of truly generous giving now inspire others.


Next Steps
G.I.V.E. ~ Inspiration

1.  Where do you tend to find Inspiration and why?
• People in your life
• God
• Stories about others
• Hands on activities
• Nature


2.  Name 2 people who have shown you what Generosity looks like?  If you are able, ask them how they learned to be generous and what inspired them to give.  What can you learn from them and apply to your own life?


3.  In what ways could your giving be an inspiration to others?


4. Opportunities to GIVE during this season ~ and beyond:
• Pack a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child.
• Donate canned sweet potatoes for the food bank Christmas boxes.
• Invite people to join you at the Essence of Joy concert on November 30.
• Volunteer your time to help with the Essence of Joy concert on November 30.
• Set aside time to help with the Christmas Dinner (sign up’s will start soon!).
• Provide food or money for the Christmas Dinner.
• Set aside a gift now for our Christmas Eve Offering that can help the people of Sierra Leone.
• If you are able, consider making a gift to Faith Church that will support God’s mission into the future.

G.I.V.E. ~ Generosity

How many of us want to get to the end or our lives and have people gather at our funeral and talk about all the things we accumulated during our lifetime?  How many of us want people to stand around talking about all the cars, houses, collections and investments that we left behind?  My guess is that most of us don’t really want that.  Most of us would want people sharing stories about how we gave our time, energy, passion, talents and money in ways that significantly changed people’s lives.

If you have children or grandchildren, how many of you want to see them become more generous people?  How many of you want to see them more willing to give, more excited to give and more passionate and generous in giving?  How many of us what to feel more excited and passionate about giving?  How many of us want to be more generous?

For the next four weeks we are going to address some of these issues as we learn some lessons about what it means to give.  We will learn what can motivate us to give, what effect giving can have on us and the people and world around us and how we can learn to give more.  My hope is that these four weeks will challenge us all to live life differently and that we will find ways to give more of ourselves to God as well as our family, friends, community, church and world.  To learn about giving I am using the word G.I.VE. which stand for Generosity – Inspiration – Vision – Effectiveness.  Each one of these words will teach us something about giving and today we are going to start with Generosity.

The word generosity comes from the Latin word generosus which means of noble birth and up until the 17th century the word was used exclusively to talk about people born into nobility and came from the right blood line.  During the 17th century, however, the definition changed and generosity came to mean having a noble spirit or character.  A generous person wasn’t just someone born into the right family but a person whose life was characterized by noble virtues like courage, strength and kindness.  By the 18th century the world changed again and focused on just one of those virtues which was the giving of money and possessions to others.  What is important about all of this is that being generous isn’t just be something that we do – it should be a reflection of who we are.

Today we are going to define generosity as giving good things to others freely and abundantly.   So there is an attitude involved in generosity – we give freely and without thought of return or reward.  We don’t give because we are forced or compelled to give but because we choose to.  So there is attitude involved in generosity but there is also action – we give something and whatever we give we give a lot, or in abundance.  Now when we talk about giving this month I want to be clear that we are not just talking about giving money.  We can and need to give money because it is a valuable resource that is part of all of our lives and unfortunately money has the power to take hold of our lives, but we can also give possessions, time, attention, help, support, emotional availability, forgiveness, encouragement and many other things.

So we can give many different things, but how often we give is also important because generosity isn’t a onetime gift as much as it is a lifestyle.  Remember the word generous talked about the entire life of a person not just one action.  What makes this really important is understanding that it is when we give freely and abundantly day after day, week after week and year after year that giving has the capacity to shape our hearts and lives in ways that a single gift cannot.  So generosity is a way of living that leads to a lifetime of giving.

A lot of what I want to share on generosity comes from this new book called The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson.  In 2010 they did an extensive survey of 2,000 Americans and here is what they found out.  Those who give, receive back in turn.  By spending ourselves for others’ well-being, we enhance our own standing.  In letting go of some of what we own, we better secure our own lives.  By giving ourselves away we ourselves move toward flourishing. This is not only a philosophical or religious teaching, it is a sociological fact.
None of this should be a surprise to us because we have read this in the scriptures.  Look at Proverbs 11:24-25,   Malachi 3:10-12,  Luke 17:33

So the scriptures echo this very idea that giving in some way improves our lives and so what Smith and Davidson did was look at 5 areas of life that are improved when we give.  Those areas are:
• Happiness
• Physical Health
• Purpose for Living
• Avoidance of Depression
• Interest in Personal Growth

What they discovered is that the more people gave of their time and money, the more they experienced positive results in these areas.  People who gave more were happier, healthier, had a greater sense of purpose in life, experienced less depression and a greater desire to learn and grow.   So let me ask – do you want any of these things today?  Do you want to be happier and healthier?  Do you want a greater sense of purpose and meaning in life?  Do we want to overcome anxiety and depression and have a greater desire to learn more, experience more and grab hold of more in life?  If we do, the answer is simple.  We need to give generously.

Studies have shown that it’s not just giving that makes people happier and healthier but it is giving generously.  People who gave 10% of their income away were happier than those who gave less.  People who volunteered 6 hours a week were less depressed and had a greater sense of meaning and purpose in life than those who volunteered 3.  There is a very real correlation between giving generously and being happy and healthy.  If you are wondering why this might be, let me give you two answers, one is physical and the other is emotional.

Studies have shown that when people give generously of their time or money it releases chemicals in the brain that increase pleasure, reduce stress and suppress pain.  Oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin and endorphins are all released as people give and these chemicals make us happier and decrease stress and anxiety which in turn makes us physically healthier.  Giving literally makes us healthier and the studies show that the more we give the healthier and happier we are.  Now this doesn’t mean that we won’t get sick, battle cancer, heart disease and diabetes.  Clearly there are many different factors that contribute to our physical well-being, but statistically it is shown that giving helps us and the more we give the better off we are.

Generosity also fosters and reinforces positive emotions which leads to greater happiness and a sense of well-being.  We simply feel better about ourselves when we give.  Think about how good it feels to serve someone?  For those who walked in the Crop Walk on Sunday, you might have been tired and worn out, but didn’t you feel good emotionally?  When we do our serving our seniors day in the spring the comment heard over and over again by volunteers is how good it feels to help someone.  Giving generously helps us feel good about ourselves.  We feel valuable and worthwhile which helps lift depression and gives us a greater sense of purpose.

Giving to others also connects us to people which expands our social network of real relationships.  These are not facebook friends that we may never meet, but real people we can sit and talk to, hold their hands as we pray together and find ways to connect.  Real personal connections have been proved to increase a sense of wellbeing in just about every area of life.

I hope you can begin to see the evidence of how powerful and life changing generosity can be.  When we give freely and abundantly we get so much more in return and we get those things that money can’t buy like happiness, health, mental health, a sense of purpose and meaning in life.  Now here’s the thing.  We understand this, we see it, we have heard it from God’s word and many of us have experienced it, so why don’t’ we live it out more faithfully and consistently?

In their study on generosity, Smith and Davidson found that only 4 or 5% of Americans give 10% of their income away and while as a nation we do a better job with giving our time (27% of people will volunteer), ¾ of our nation doesn’t volunteer at all.  Now there are some very good reasons many people may not volunteer, like health, mobility and age (either too young or too old), but there are still a large number of people who simply choose not to give their time and 86% or our nation gives less than 2% of their income to any kind of church or charity.

The bad news is that these figures are very close to what we find in the church as well.  According to a 2012 Survey by the Barna group, those who tithed or gave 10% of their income to the church was about 5% and according to The Paradox of Giving, the number of volunteers in the church is still about 27%.  I don’t say this to shame us; it’s just the truth we need to face up to.  While we don’t give for many reasons, what we fail to remember is that when we don’t give generously we are actually hurting ourselves.  When we don’t give we are cutting ourselves off from happiness, physical and emotional health, a greater sense of purpose and an interest in life.   We know we should give more, we know we would feel better if we would give more and we know God is calling us to give more, but we don’t and we need to wrestle with why.

One reason we don’t give is because giving generously is hard work.  According Smith and Davidson they say that generosity requires us to learn something different, something that may not feel natural and requires real personal change.  Generosity does not come easily and it is not what we see around us which means it requires us to confront some deep questions about what we want in life, what we need and what will bring us security, stability and success.  In other words we have to do some soul searching and ask God how He wants us to live.  How much money is enough?  What are we saving for?  Is our faith and trust in God or in our investments?  Are we giving enough of our time away or maybe too much time away?  These are not easy questions for us to explore.

Beyond soul searching we have to do some decision making.  Can we make the hard decisions to start giving more of our money and our time?  Can we give 10% to the church not just once, but every week and every month and every year?  Right now that might seem absolutely impossible, but is it?  What might we have to do in order to be more generous with our money or time?  Can we start doing something this week?  

So generosity calls for some tough decision making but then we have to keep it going with generous living.  Generosity calls for learning new routines, implementing new practices and embracing a new lifestyle.  Again, generosity is not a onetime gift – it’s learning a new way of life where we consistently give in ways that shape who we are.  Giving once is great, but it doesn’t shape our hearts and lives the same way that giving day after day does.

Jesus did some soul searching, decision making and generous living.  Jesus spent time in prayer where he asked God how He wanted him to live his life and how much he was to give and where he was to place his faith and trust.  Jesus had to make some difficult decisions about what to do with his time, energy, love and power.  Jesus didn’t have any money to give, but he gave generously in other ways that forever changed people’s lives and our world.  Jesus also did some generous living.  Day after day Jesus gave all he had to those around him and because he was willing to give each day when he got to the end of his life he was able and willing to joyfully give himself completely to the world.

The Communion meal we share today is a place where Jesus generously gives himself to us and as we receive these gifts of bread and wine, God is calling us to give what we have to give.  When we share in communion we are saying that we want to follow in the way of Jesus who said, those who want to find their lives will lose it, but those who are willing to lose their lives, (those who give and live generously) will find life.  Studies prove this is true.  God has said this is true.  Jesus shows us this is true.  So let us give and live generously so that we might find life.

Next Steps
G.I.V.E.  ~ Generosity

Soul Searching
Read the following scriptures that talk about generosity and giving:
• Psalm 112:5-7
• Proverbs 11:24-25
• Malachi 3:8-12
• Luke 17:33
• Acts 20:35
• 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

How much money do you currently give to the church?
• To community agencies that help others?
• To meet the needs of our world?
How much time do you give volunteering in the church?
• In the schools?
• In the community?

Decision Making
Can you increase the percentage of money you give to the church?
• What would it look like if you gave 10% to God this month?
• What is holding you back from making this decision?

Generous Living
Studies have shown that generous giving increases our:
• Happiness
• Physical Health
• Purpose in Living
• Avoidance of Depression
• Interest in Personal Growth
Identify one area where you would like to experience a greater sense of well-being.  How might generosity help in that area?

Check out the book The Paradox of Giving for a deeper look at how in giving we receive and in grasping we lose.