On Giving

Then said a rich man, Speak to us of Giving. 

     And he answered: 

     You give but little when you give of your possessions. 

     It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. 

     For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear 

you may need them tomorrow?      

     And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog 

burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the 

holy city? 

     And what is fear of need by need itself? 

     Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is 

unquenchable? 

     There are those who give little of the much which they have—and 

they give it for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts 

unwholesome. 

     And there are those who have little and give it all. 

     These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer 

is never empty. 

     There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward. 

     And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their 

baptism. 

     And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do 

they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue; 

     They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into 

space. 

     Through the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind 

their eyes. He smiles upon the earth. 

 It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through 

understanding; 

     And to the open-handed the search for one who shall receive is joy 

greater than giving. 

     And is there aught you would withhold? 

     All you have shall some day be given; 

     Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not 

your inheritors’. 

      You often say, “I would give, but only to the deserving.” 

      The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture. 

      They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish. 

      Surely he who is worthy to receive his days and his nights, is worthy 

of all else from you. 

     And he who has deserved to drink from the ocean of life deserves to 

fill his cup from your little stream. 

     And what desert greater shall there be, than that which lies in the 

courage and the confidence, nay the charity, or receiving? 

     And who are you that men should rend their bosom and unveil their 

pride, that you may see their worth naked and their pride unabashed? 

     See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an instrument of 

giving. 

     For in truth it is life that gives unto life—while you, who deem 

yourself a giver, are but a witness. 

     And you receivers—and you are all receivers—assume no weight of 

gratitude, lest you lay a yoke upon yourself and upon him who gives. 

     Rather rise together with the giver on his gifts as on wings; 

     For to be overmindful of your debt, is to doubt his generosity who 

has the freehearted earth for mother, and God for father.

--Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931), Lebanese-American author, poet, and artist, from The Prophet, 1923

On Giving and Taking

Once there lived a man who had a valley-full of needles. And one day the mother of Jesus came to him and said: “Friend, my son’s garment is torn and I must needs mend it before he goeth to the temple. Wouldst thou not give me a needle?”

And he gave her not a needle, but he gave her a learned discourse on Giving and Taking to carry to her son before he should go to the temple.

--Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931), Lebanese-American author, poet, and painter

Prayer at the Start of an Annual Giving Campaign

God of our days and years,

we set this time apart for you. 

Form us in the likeness of Christ 

so that our lives may glorify you. 

Amen.

Prayers for Blessing of Oblations

God of Abundant Love, 

make us true stewards of the bounty you entrust to us.
Where there is need, let us meet it;
where there is abundance, let us share it,
where there is time, let us spend it in your service;
where there are resources, let us devote them to your kingdom.
Amen.


Almighty God,
whose Holy Spirit equips the Church with a rich variety of gifts;
grant that we may use them
to bear witness to Christ
by lives built on faith and love.
Make us ready to live his gospel
and eager to do his will,
that we may share with all your Church in the joys of eternal life;
through Jesus, Christ our Lord.
Amen.

--adapted from a prayer at the Diocese of York


Eternal God,
open our eyes to see your hand at work
in the splendour of creation
and in the beauty of human life.
Help us to cherish the gifts that surround us, 

to share our blessings with our sisters and brothers,
and to experience the joy of life in your presence;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

--A Prayer Book for Australia


Thanks be to thee,
my joy and my glory and my hope
and my God.
Thanks be to thee for thy gifts;
but do thou preserve them in me,
thus thou wilt preserve me,
and the things thou hast given me will
increase and be made perfect,
and I shall be with thee:
because even that I exist is thy gift.

-- Augustine of Hippo

Heavenly Father, source of all life,
we thank you for the many ways
in which you have blessed and enriched our lives:
keep us from possessiveness and greed,
and lead us into the greater joy
of sharing your gifts with others.
Through Jesus Christ,
in whom is perfect peace.
Amen.

--Jenny Dann

Abundant God,
you made us in your image
and breathed in us a spirit of generosity
that is both gift and response.
Move us, we pray, to give as we have received -
abundantly, generously, and joyfully,
that our common ministry may ever bear
witness to your unfailing grace.
In the name of the three
in whom we are one,
Amen.

--Episcopal Diocese of Washington

Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous; 

teach me to serve you as you deserve, 

to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds, 

to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labour and not to seek reward,
except that of knowing that I do your will. 

Amen.

--St. Ignatius of Loyola

Annual Giving Campaign Prayer: We Pray that We Will Make Stewardship a Way of Life

Eternal God, we pray that we will make stewardship a way of Life. We acknowledge you as the source of all we have and all we are.

Help us to place you, our loving Creator, first in our lives by becoming more prayerful, more focused on loving and caring for our families and our neighbors in need, and by becoming less preoccupied with material things.

Help us to hear your call to be good stewards, caretakers, and managers of all your gifts by sharing them for your purposes.

Help us make your priorities our priorities and to put our faith into action. Help us plan to “give back” the talents, treasures and time with which we have been blessed.

Help us plan to serve our church, our community, and our world with your gifts.

May we serve you and pray with a joyful spirit of mind and heart.

Amen.

(from the Episcopal Diocese of Washington

The Wish to Be Generous

All that I serve will die, all my delights,
the flesh kindled from my flesh, garden and field,
the silent lilies standing in the woods,
the woods, the hill, the whole earth, all
will burn in man's evil, or dwindle
in its own age. Let the world bring on me
the sleep of darkness without stars, so I may know
my little light taken from me into the seed
of the beginning and the end, so I may bow
to mystery, and take my stand on the earth
like a tree in a field, passing without haste
or regret toward what will be, my life
a patient willing descent into the grass.

--Wendell Berry (1934- ), America poet, farmer, agrarian, essayist, and philosopher

Lectionary scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:7-15, Proper 8B