Got the Ash of Generosity?
Once in a blue moon there’s this weird convergence of dates. Today is one of them. It’s Valentine’s Day. It’s Oregon’s birthday (but you already knew that, right?). And…most importantly for us church folk, it’s Ash Wednesday.
Here’s a re-freshed post from a long-ago Ash Wednesday. May your Lenten journey be one filled with many moments of generosity.
Do you have your ash on yet? I'm waiting ‘til 7 tonight – and I'm eagerly anticipating this symbolic ritual to begin Lent. But it wasn’t always that way. The mainline church I grew up in never made a big deal about Lent. Then I went through the Jesus Movement (hey, I grew up in Southern California in the 70s, it was expected) and Lent was definitely verboten – only the “liberal” churches who didn’t really know Jesus did that high church kind of thing.
It wasn’t until I worked at a Jesuit institution that Lent, and thus Ash Wednesday, really started to mean something. Give up something for 40 days? OK, I’ll give it a try. Yikes – it was gum one year, candy another, ice cream the following (are you seeing a pattern?).
Then I was introduced to the idea of adding something to my life for Lent. Which seemed like the antidote to giving up sugar. So I’ve tried that too – read the Bible on a daily basis (I know, I know…I should be doing that 365), written notes of encouragement, prayed at noon, you get the idea.
This year, I’ve seen two excellent examples of ways that you can do something that can be meaningful not only to you, but to the world.
Remember the United Methodist initiative Imagine No Malaria? A “Giving from Abundance” calendar was designed to inspire people to personally raise funds, pretty easily I might say, to help eradicate malaria. As a side note, as of 2016, more than $68 million was raised by the United Methodist Church for IMN.
Rev. Barbara Nixon of Hillview United Methodist Church in Boise, Idaho [Pastor Barbara is now retired] designed an “Acts of Love” pledge. According to her “Each day during Lent we will watch for, share in, name and be thankful for acts of love and kindness.” She provided a lovely – and I’m sure stylish – white rubber bracelet as a reminder to those who made the pledge (and as an added bonus…it’s an easy conversation starter - a way to naturally tell their story).
Ash Wednesday is just the beginning...the beginning of repentance as we move toward the glorious new beginning of Resurrection Sunday.
Let your light continue to shine during these next 40 days because generosity – in all its forms – should never take a break.
Original post from March 5, 2014.
Photo credit: Amplitudy@pexel.com
Cesie Delve Scheuermann (pronounced “CC Delv Sherman,” yes, really) is a Stewardship Consultant for the OR-ID Annual Conference. She is also a Senior Ministry Strategist with Horizons Stewardship. For 25 years, while working as a volunteer and part-time consultant, she has helped raise over three million dollars for numerous churches and non-profit organizations.
Here's short and inspiring video from the UK about 40 acts of generosity: “You are one small act of generosity with 40 days to make a difference.” And…Happy birthday, Oregon. Thanks for the funny video!
You can reach Cesie at inspiringgenerosity@gmail.com, at CesieScheuermann.com, or at cesieds@horizons.net. Want to schedule a meeting? She’s got you covered!
Schedule a meeting now.
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