Sharing the Overflow
This past Sunday as we studied 2 Samuel 6 we noted the generosity that exuded from David when he experienced the grace of the Lord. Here are the verses that highlight this generosity:
And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house.” (2 Samuel 6 17:19)
This account is similar to an account in Nehemiah in which the people are reintroduced to the Word of God.
And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them. (Nehemiah 8:9–12)
What would this gratitude-fueled, sharing out of the overflow of grace, look like for us? Each week the offering plate passes us by. How generous are we in supporting the church and the work of the Gospel around the world? Other than directly giving money, sharing the overflow could look like bringing a meal to a neighbor or a family in need. It could look like inviting the new people, the people who look a little lost relationally, over for ice cream. It could look like delivering a Care Portal call. Here are Don and Sherry Levy recounting a recent CarePortal experience:
We delivered a child’s bed tonight for a family in need from Afghanistan. Don was able to go into the home and help assemble the bed with the child’s father. The family was very kind and invited him to stay for tea but he had another commitment. It was a pleasant experience. Several days later Don and I were able to return to their home and enjoy a special meal with their family. It was an amazing experience and quite an honor to share this wonderful meal with them. Three of the 12 adults spoke some heavily accented English. It was loud, jovial and long. We left at 9:45 and they said the evening would go on until after midnight. (haha).
Care Portal, for those unfamiliar with this ministry, is a diaconate supported ministry that brings vetted needs from the community to our attention, giving us the opportunity to personally bless those in need, out of the overflow of how we have been blessed. Joy Jurries, Henry & Rachel Morales, Andrew Vanderput, Micah & Heather Maupin , and Lisa Vander Maas are team leaders for Christ Church, helping to mobilize other volunteers to meet these needs. If you are interested in learning more or sharing your blessing in this way, talk to one of these folks. But no matter what it looks like, may the Spirit enable us to share the overflow of grace!
Photo by Johnny Martínez on Unsplash