At worship one year, my pastor invited children to come forward at the end of her sermon to receive a gift. Each child who came up received a business-sized envelope containing five dollars.
She gave the children only one instruction. They could not spend the money on themselves. She suggested they find someone who needed the money more than they did. She would ask them to share what they did with the money at worship the next week.
The following Sunday, my pastor invited children who had received a five-dollar bill the week before to come forward and tell what they did with their gift.
One child said her grandpa had Parkinson’s disease, so she gave her five dollars to an organization that is working to find a cure. Another said he gave his money to the area ELCA Bible Camp. Another said he gave his money to a homeless person.
I imagine it was tempting for each to think about what they could have gotten for themselves with this free money. What can we learn from these young givers?
This message is excerpted from “How children teach us about generosity” by Kris Brugamyer from the October 17, 2019, blog of the Women of the ELCA. Today is the 20th Sunday after Pentecost. Today we commemorate William Tyndale, translator, martyr, 1536.
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