Money and Gratitude
Written by: Dr. Ken McFayden
Pause at the Lord’s Table. See and hear and taste the goodness of God as bread and cup are shared. Experience with gratitude the gifts of God for the people of God. And know that the Lord is good.
Brian Gerrish, a prominent Reformed theologian, reminds us in Grace and Gratitude: The Eucharistic Theology of John Calvin, that the liberal generosity of God is a fundamental dimension of God’s engagement with humanity and all creation. The Holy Banquet offers a liturgical reenactment of grace and gratitude—God’s grace; our gratitude.
It is easy, perhaps even tempting, to focus on what we do not have and to experience hunger pains of what we wish we had. This focus may feed a perspective of scarcity. In turn, we lose sight of the abundance we have in our lives and world, abundance created through the grace and generosity of God.
The Lord’s Table, in its simplicity, reminds us to adjust our perspective; to turn our attention; to respond with thanks. Where we are unable to adjust, turn, and respond, we are likely to maintain a sense of entitlement, to envy those who have what we do not, and to carry a burden of greed as we ever seek more.
At the Lord’s Table, where we gather with others in a community of faith and practice, we are invited to pause to appreciate God’s offerings to us and to consider our responses to God. With others, as we move from Table to world, we are invited to consider the following types of questions:
- Where do we see and experience God’s liberality in the world?
- Where do we see and experience God’s liberality in our lives?
- In whom do we find models of gratitude in our lives?
- In whom do we find models of gratitude in the world?
By the grace of God, our reflections upon these questions may increase our gratitude to God, create new expressions of generosity in our lives, and inspire acts of kindness as we reach out to others. In gratitude. By grace.
