Save Money-- Revolution in Giving

A different kind of giving ... a revolutionary way to give from Rev. James C. Howell pastor of Meyers Park Methodist Church, Charlotte N.C.
Care Enough to Give Something of Yourself, not an Easy Gift Card
Once upon a time, when I was a child, I devised a list of things I wanted and mailed it to the North Pole. Santa delivered, and all was well. I got what I wanted. Now i am older, and I have learned to shop online. Why? It's "easier," more "convenient" for me.
Gift cards are soaring in popularity, and they say a lot about the giver (who hasn't bothered to be creative or to think through the other person's life and snoop around to find something (meaningful), and even more about our vapid culture. We give cards why? "They should be able to get what they want."
Is life about what I want? Might some disaster strike if I cannot get what I want, or if I get something I didn't want? I cannot think of a more pathetic than kids whose favorite activity, rather tragically, is shopping- and who already are engulfed with too much junk- unwrapping gift cards, swapping them like trading cards with cousins, and rushing over to the mall to purchase more unnecessary items.
Gifts from the heart
But there is a revolution going on in giving. Have you noticed? Or are you sleeping through it, like Rip Van Winkle? Everywhere I go, I hear about people giving something special, not necessarily something expensive. Something the giver wants the recipient to have, not what the recipient asked for. Gifts of charity, gifts from the heart.
For me the best gift I ever received was something I never wanted. We were moving from a church where I had been pastor for 12 years. An 89-year old man with a gravelly voice, who still wore overalls and plowed his own fields, walked in one day and said, "I couldn't decide what to give you, "and then he reached deep into his denim pocket, pulled, out something and gradually opened his crusty hand.
It was his pocketknife, worn from decades of going everywhere with him, indispensable for a country gentleman who wanted to be prepared when a rope, apple or container needed to be cut.
If someone asked me to list 500 things I vaguely hope to possess one day, I (a city slicker) would never have said, "A pocketknife!" But here was this invaluable treasure being pressed into my palm.
He added words: "Carry that around in your pocket. Then some day, when you're having a bad day, feel it down in there and remember that somebody loves you." I told this to some people, and a beautiful, revolutionary chaos of giving ensued, as people began giving each other all kinds of stunning presents.
A Teenage Girls Treasure
In a recent sermon I said, "Don't just go buy something for those you love; give them something special to you."A 13 year-old girl emailed me the next day, saying, "Last year for Christmas my parents gave me a laptop, which I love. But my mom just got a new job, and she said she needs a laptop. So I am wrapping mine up and giving it to her for Christmas."
I think about the times I have gone to considerable trouble to get just the right item; perhaps I even made something with my own hands. Not easy, but treasured by the recipient-and somehow it's even better for me as the giver.
Our family trashed the gift card trading bonanza for something better. Last year, each child presented the cousins with gifts of missions. "We made a donation to the homeless shelter in your honor. Our family has volunteered there this past year, and we met this really nice guy named Travis-and now he's our friend."
Care Enough to Give
A revolution is underway, and it's a long way from gift cards and convenience. Care enough to give something of yourself, perhaps something you treasure that won't cost you a dime. Care enough to know the other person and give him something you've lovingly determined you want him to have as a token of who you are together. Care enough to give to the poor, perhaps as much or more than you give to your kin who already have too much. And care enough for them not merely during this season, but in April and August, when the poor are still poor.
This is how God gave, isn't it" Nobody was asking for a baby in a cow stall; but it was what God wanted to give, what God knew would most profoundly express the depths of love we need. A revolution was touched off back then. Are we sleeping through it? Or joining in as zealous participants?
Something a little different.. and as always.....Happy Savings!!!!!!