What do we give?

OIKOS is a fantastic ecumenical initiative in Brigg, that run a Christian shop, a Food Bank, a Community Pantry and more!  I was asked to write some short 'thoughts to start your week' for October 2023 for their Facebook page. This is an expanded version of the thought for 15th October.

Harvest Festivals are a chance for us to thank God for the food that we have. As we think about the world we cannot help but be struck by the over-abundance of food that we can have. We are not limited to one type of food but can eat many different types of plants, animals, fish, fruit, vegetables, seeds and so on. And that's just the food that naturally occurs: as we exercise our God-given and God-reflecting creativity we can create other foodstuffs by cooking, mixing and processing natural ingredients. As in last week's reflection, we should remember that this is not the necessary way that God had to create the world. Koalas only eat eucalyptus and blue whales only eat krill, so there's no reason why humans had to be able to have a varied diet. Even less was it necessary for us to be able to eat so many different foods. The super-abundance of food and drink that can sustain us is testament to God's super-generosity towards us.

As we reflect on God's generosity towards us, exemplified by harvest, we should also feel an urge to imitate God's generosity ourselves. As we look at the variety of, for example, bread or baked beans that we can choose between we should praise God for his wondrous provision, but it should also make us feel chastened that 10% of the world's population regularly go to bed hungry. And the problem is not just global: 7% of the UK population live in food poverty. Therefore harvest is a time (though it shouldn't be the only time!) when we think of those who don't have as much as we do. So it's great that many churches and schools have taken donations for Brigg Food Bank at their Harvest celebrations.

When we announce that we'll be taking donations for the Food Bank the first question is usually “What do we give?” and food banks usually give a general list of things they want, and sometimes give 'live' updates on what specifically they are short of at that moment. But there is a perhaps a deeper meaning to the question “what do we give?” that we need to ask ourselves, and it is linked in some way with the variety that we've just been thinking about.

The anecdotal, but possibly common, experience of Harvest Festivals is of waking up on the morning of the festival, be-it school or church; remembering with horror that you've forgotten to get something to donate; then desperately rummaging around in cupboards trying to find something! What you end up with is usually the tins that are nearly at their best-before date, or strange jams that have been given as presents or won on tombolas. Alternatively, if you have remembered about Harvest whilst at the shops (and I am guilty of doing this) you buy your own shopping and then get extra of some of the products to donate, but you buy your usual brands for yourself but what you donate is from the value range. We justify this second-best giving because of the cost to our own budgets and perhaps also (and again I own up to this myself) with the thought that those in need will be grateful for whatever they get. This way we can feel good about ourselves for being charitable, without it costing us too much.

Our generosity is measured not just in how much we give but on what we give; remember Jesus' commendation of the widow who gave all she had, even though it amounted to a tiny amount of money (Luke 21:1-4). Monetarily she didn't give very much but sacrificially she did. Paul reminds us that God loves a cheerful giver, whilst also telling us to sow generously (2 Corinthians 9:5-11). Giving cheerfully and sacrificially not only expresses gratitude for God's generosity to us; and not only reflects Jesus' self-giving (Philippians 2:6-8); it also honours the people that receive. In this way we love others in the same way we love ourselves.

Perhaps you're not as selfish as I am, in which case please pray for me! But those of us who are tempted to give second-best, maybe we should meditate more on God's super-abundant generosity to us, and also on the God-given dignity of those to whom we give.

Photo from: https://www.churchofengland.org/news-and-media/stories-and-features/how-harvest-festival-services-are-supplying-food-banks