3-Sep-23 (Matthew 16:21-28)

Jesus stated the paradox, "those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it." There's another one very like it: "We gain a lot from giving away." As we give of ourselves and our resources to things that matter, we gain in ways that aren't simply material, but which give us a level of satisfaction that simply having things cannot give us. In that way, giving generously can be what they call "enlightened self-interest" but there's more to it than that: Giving to things that matter also means that we leave behind us things that last, things that bring life and hope to others, things that bring the Realm of God a little closer to being a full reality.
So, consider what you can give of yourself and your resources toward things that matter as we come to our time of offering.

Prayer:

Loving, giving God, we thank you for all the ways you have provided for us and gifted us. We offer back to you a portion of that to be put to work on things that matter, in this congregation, in the Church, and in our world. Bless these gifts and multiply them that your work would be done on Earth.
We pray in Jesus' name, AMEN.