Lent Devotional: Week 2

The Table of Bounty
By Pastor Tracey Leslie
Read:  Acts 2:42-47

Have you watched Doomsday Preppers?  I’ve seen just a few episodes.  Now, don’t get me wrong; it is winter and we can get some pretty intense storms in the Midwest.  My husband has prepared me for winter driving.  My trunk contains a few basic safety supplies and snack bars in case my car breaks down and I’m stranded.  (It seems like there are a lot of winter traffic
emergencies on I-65.)  But the folks on Doomsday Preppers really take it over the top.

One episode was particularly peculiar.  It involved a couple who had stockpiled water and stockpiled food to last them for two years.  They also had collected medical supplies and, although they didn’t believe in drinking alcohol, they’d stockpiled that also so they could use it as a form of currency to trade for some item they might need that had not been anticipated.  And, of course, they’d stock piled weapons to protect, at all costs, their dooms day supplies.  But, here is the kicker:  They brought the pastor of their church to their “hidden room” where the supplies were stocked so that he could bless their supplies.  And, he did so despite the fact that they made it quite clear: these supplies were for the two of them only.  No one else would be allowed to access them.  It was every man for himself.  They had no intention of sharing anything with their neighbors; no intention of sharing anything with the members of their church. 

Well, that seems to be the antithesis to Acts 2:42-47, don’t you think? 

More than a quarter of a century ago, author Robert Fulghum, wrote a book entitled “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”  It spent almost two years on the New York Times best seller list.  At the top of Fulghum’s list of learnings:  Share everything.  That’s good biblical theology.

In Acts 2:42 and in many other places in the New Testament, we find the Greek word koinonia.  It’s a powerful word that can be translated a number of ways, including:
Community
Fellowship
Join Participation
A Gift Jointly Contributed

The early Christians shared a great deal.  They shared food, they shared prayers, they shared in the work of ministry… they shared everything.  In fact, their ability to share was one of their most effective “tools” for church growth.  Because of their willingness to share, no one was in need.  Acts 4:34 says, “There was not a needy person among them.”

Throughout scripture, we discover that, if we want to have our personal needs met, we must be willing to share with others.  It seems counterintuitive, doesn’t it?  When we have very little, we’re tempted to hold to it tightly so we don’t run out.  But, the less we are willing to share, the more likely we are to run out.  In fact, the more we share with others, the more we discover we have.  It’s not a “get rich quick” scheme.  God doesn’t promise us mansions and Mercedes.  But he does promise to faithfully take care of us.  When we trust in God and when we share with others, we will always have a place at the Table of Bounty.  

---

Questions to reflect upon this week:           
· Who are the people in your life that taught you how to share?
· How does the practice of sharing build a sense of community?
· How does the willingness to share grow our trust in God?

Prayer: 
God, sometimes it is hard for me to trust you when it seems I won’t have enough.  I’m afraid of running out of the things I need.  But, give me a courageous heart that is ready to share your gifts with others and to grow my trust in you.  I ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Did you miss Sunday's sermon?  Check it out on the Sermon Blog.  Click here.

Follow Trinity on Facebook and Watch for devotional responses throughout the week!