Sharing Is Caring

Hebrews 13:15-16
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Happy Thanksgiving. I pray you are having a blessed day, and taking time to thank God for all that He has given you. I also pray that you will be able to share that blessing with others, especially with someone who needs some kindness.

Our scripture passage says, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” As my eleven year old put is “sharing is caring”.

It funny but so true. When Evan was three I would take him to the park several times a week and he always brought two or three cars with him. One to play with and the others to share. He learned quickly that people like it when you share.

Our passage today says it pleases God. So, on a day when we like to be with family make sure you share a bit of yourself with someone who needs your kindness. Because after all, sharing is caring.

Share the News

Sharing. One of life’s joys. Sometimes.

 

My oldest daughter and son-in-law live out of state so I do not get to see my grandchildren as often as I would like. This past Thanksgiving weekend they were here and I gladly babysat for a few hours.

Generally speaking, the two get along very well and they share with each other.

 

Generally speaking.

 

The day I babysat was a different story. I gave one of them some candy and told her to share with her sister. She did not immediately share – in fact would not – so I asked her why.

 

Her response was, “because I don’t get as much.”

 

Today’s reading is from the Book of Acts, Chapter 8. Pentecost was over. The Holy Spirit was among many people who had travelled to Jerusalem. The Church was formed and Christians were beginning to be persecuted. Most fled Judea.

 

The Apostles initially limited their outreach to Judea, but now they are going to Samaria.

 

Samaria is to the north of Judea. It consists mostly of the land once known as the Northern Kingdom.

 

In 722 BC the Northern Kingdom was defeated by the Assyrians. The Assyrians relocated a number of the Israelite to other lands, and also resettled a number of people from other conquered territories to the Northern Kingdom.

 

Over time the Jews and relocated people intermarried.  Most of the Samaritans worshipped other gods and accepted the religious practices of those from the east.

 

The Judean Jews hated the Samaritans.

 

It must have been a shock to many Judean Christians that the Apostles were taking the Good News of Jesus Christ north to Samaria. To their hated neighbors!

 

Just like I wanted my grandchildren to share candy, God wants us to share the news of Jesus to all people, even those we don’t much like. We should be prepared to tell of Jesus to all people.

 

In my household, the supply of candy is limited, so my grandchild is right: sharing means less for each person.

 

In God’s household, the supply of Jesus’ love is unbounded. In fact, some might say that the more we share Jesus, the more there is for us.

 

Share the news!

Sharing -- Pass It On!

Sharing is a part of life.

 

We share love with our spouse and our family. We may share an experience with a good friend. We might share an ice-cream sundae when on a date. We may share freshly baked cookies with a person or family new to the neighborhood. We might even share our most inner thoughts and frustrations with a small group of very close friends. And we might share our time and money with a local food pantry.

 

Sharing can make us feel good and it can teach younger ones to share by our example. Sharing strengthens existing relationships and can build new ones.  Sharing can also help us cope with life.

In today’s reading, Isaiah 55:1-11, Isaiah gives us a lesson in God’s sharing.

 

“Come, all you who thirst, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”

 

God shares with us, not merely the things we think we need for life, but those things that are essential so that our “soul may life.”

 

What are those essential things? His Word, of course.

 

Yes, he shared His Word in oral and written form, which we today have in the form of the Bible. But God shared so much more.

 

We are told that God’s Word, “became flesh and made his dwelling upon us.” (John 1:11).

 

By giving us His Word, God gave us His Son, who lived among us. Stated differently, God shared Jesus – 100% God and 100% man -- with us.

 

Jesus lived a perfect life, and became a role model for us. Both a scapegoat and a sacrificial lamb, Jesus took our sins upon himself and atoned for our sins. But most important, he was resurrected, thereby demonstrating that he is capable of giving us everlasting life.

 

God shared Jesus with us. Jesus shared his life story with us. It is our job to share Jesus’ Good News with others.

 

Sharing – Pass it on!

 

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Merriam-Webster defines communion as an act or instance of sharing; a synonym is fellowship.  I must admit that I do not remember ever reading today's passages before.  Does that ever happen to you?  I am sure I have, for I have been in 1 Corinthians often over the years, but for some reason it wasn't until this week I studied these particular verses.

Paul is telling the Believers at Corinth that observing the Communion feast is a big deal.  He is reprimanding them for approaching the meal while their hearts were not right with God or with one another.  Communion is all about unity, sharing, fellowship and love.  The practice of the people in Corinth would be to come together for a meal first - the rich would bring lavish dishes to be shared among other wealthy believers, often leaving the poor to go hungry.

"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25)

Paul admonished their behavior instructing that Communion is about coming together, about remembering Jesus and all He taught; the most important lesson being love.  The Sundays when the Communion Feast is celebrated is a special time.  I enjoy sharing this moment with fellow Believers.  It is always a special time when I am able to partake of this observance with people who mean so much to me.  I had to learn this though, just as the early church had to learn to real meaning of sharing in The Lord's Supper.

Read the 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 text here.  Listen to an audio reading of 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 here.

Share and Share Alike Acts 4:31-37

My five-year-old was at the park the other day enjoying our unseasonably warm fall weather. He contentedly played with a few other preschoolers, who had the same idea, while I enjoyed some adult conversation with the other mothers.

We watched as our children interacted letting their imaginations go.
At one point, during their play, my son brought out his bubbles. Bubbles are always a hit as the kid’s chase the wind blown spheres through the playground hoping to pop any that dare to float within reach.  

Us mothers were only partially attentive until one child reach toward the bubble container and exclaimed, “It’s my turn.” We all held our breath and readied our reaction knowing full well that Evan may not willingly relinquish his toy.

Calmly, Evan replaced the bubble wand into the container and shared with the other child. My heart melted at the site and the other mothers responded with a unison “Aww.” It felt good seeing my son willingly give up something he loved so that someone else could have fun.

Our scripture passage today shows the disciple freely giving of what they have to those in need. Our passage says, “No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” Let’s model the example of the disciples, and preschoolers everywhere, by sharing what we have with those around us, and then sit back and listen as the angles in heaven collectively say, “Aww”.

Read today's passage here

"Share" Is Not A Four Letter Word, Acts 2:42-47

As I read this passage, I’m struck by two different phrases. Verse forty-two says, “They devoted themselves…”and verse forty-four says, “All the believers were together and had everything in common.” Doesn’t that just give you chills? There is such unity in this passage. The disciples helped each other whatever the need. They had everything in common, or in other words they knew how to share.

I live in Southern California where sharing seems to be a four letter word. We work hard so we can have more stuff. I recently heard someone define greed as, “wanting more of something you already have enough of.” Ouch. I’m sure this is not unique to Southern California; we all need to learn how to share better.

My three year old is at a point in his life where sharing is a major theme each day. He has to be constantly reminded to share. The disciples knew the key to sharing was devotion. They were devoted to each other, but also to learning, and prayer. It is only through the power of God that we will be able to be devoted on this level. Just like a three year old needs their parent constantly reminding them to share, we need God’s constant reminding.

Read the passage on Biblegateway Acts 2:42-47