This Week from Mitch

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

This Sunday, we will read the story of Lazarus in church. Our deacon, Dianna Deaderick, will be preaching. I am excited to hear her. We also continue our Stewardship Drive. Lazarus is, of course, the man who was laid at the gate of a rich man's home. The rich man passed Lazarus every day, never sharing. The Scriptures say that Lazarus would have happily eaten the scraps from the rich man's table. When Lazarus dies, he is carried off by the angels to heaven.

The other day as I thought about Lazarus and my own giving, I came to a conclusion. When I am giving out of gratefulness and generosity, I tend to notice more. In my life, giving tends to open my eyes to need. When I am in a giving mode, I see the poor and am more compassionate; I see the hungry and am driven to feed; and I see injustice and am more willing to stand up to it. I think giving allows me to see the world through a more Christian lens because giving helps to orient my heart toward love.

In the story, the rich man who ignored Lazarus all of those years is tormented. Perhaps if he had seen and given, he would not have been. Who knows what kind of difference that man could have made? As I think about the reasons why I give to St. Martin's, one of those reasons is this: I give so that I can see Lazarus and greet him as a friend. Giving helps me to see him, to know him, and to love him.

In Christ,

Mitch+