Every Sunday at our church there is a segment called "Kids Giving to Kids." It is a special time when the children of the congregation are encouraged to give money to help children who are not as fortunate as they are.
Each Sunday in the middle of our scripted, carefully planned worship service, there is a brief period of utter chaos. After depositing his coins, a four-year old forgets the way and wanders up the wrong aisle, looking for familiar faces. A three-year-old girl squeals with joy as she runs to offer her dollar bill. There is noise and irratic movement and disorder. And we love it.
This morning as I looked around the room, I saw a Dad providing coins to his children so that they could participate. The children were so excited to be able to give. Obviously, they don't have money of their own; they trusted their dad to provide what they needed in order to make their offering.
I have always loved the name for God Abraham used: Jehovah Jirah, the Lord provides.
In Exodus, God told Moses how to construct the Tabernacle. After Moses told the people what was needed, they came forward, giving their gifts: precious metals, colored threads, and all sorts of things that could be used in the construction. In Exodus 35, all of the men and the women -- each who was willing -- made a freewill offering to God. They gave what they had.
In each case, God had provided the things the Israelites had. And because the people had the things, they could feel the joy of participation in the work God had called them to do. Because the Father was generous to them, they were, in turn, able to contribute.
In much the same way, we are given good gifts from God so that we can share what we have. Just as the dad provided coins to his children this morning, our God provides what we need to be able to participate in what he has called us to do.
What a wonderful glimpse of a loving Father.
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