Submitted by Rob on December 9, 2006 - 11:49am.

This Sunday, December 10, at Spirit Garage we will hold our 2nd Annual Dealership Blowout. It is a time when we as a community make a commitment to God for the year ahead. This not only includes the monetary gifts we offer, but also our personal commitments to live in community together at Spirit Garage and be active in the rest of community. We have 2 specific Partners in Giving.  We will be taking a vote to decide who are Partner in Giving will be for the next 2 years; our partnership with "The Bridge for Runaway Youth" continues through 2007.

Why do we give? Because all that we have has first been given to us. God, the creator of heaven and earth is the absolute owner of everything. Creation in its totality belongs to God because there was nothing until God created. God’s absolute ownership is not hard to understand if you believe, "God made it, so it belongs to God." What can be hard to understand, however, is what God chose to do with creation after it was made: From the very beginning God busily gave away things. In fact, there is a sense in which the act of creation itself must be understood in terms of generosity and self-giving. After all, it was not necessary for God to create the world; God does not depend upon creation for  happiness or fulfillment. God created out of kindness and expressed that character in all that was created.

In Psalm 19 we read, "The heavens tell the glory of God, and the skies announce what his hands have made. Day after day they tell the story; night after night they tell it again. They have no speech or words; they have no voice to be heard. But their message goes out through all the world; their words go everywhere on earth. . . The teachings of the Lord are perfect; they give new strength. The rules of the Lord can be trusted; they make plain people wise. The orders of the Lord are right; they make people happy. The commands of the Lord are pure; they light up the way. Respect for the Lord is good; it will last forever. The judgments of the Lord are true; they are completely right. They are worth more than gold, even the purest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even the finest honey. By them your servant is warned. Keeping them brings great reward. People cannot see their own mistakes. Forgive me for my secret sins. Keep me from the sins of pride; don't let them rule me. Then I can be pure and innocent of the greatest of sins. I hope my words and thoughts please you. Lord, you are my Rock, the one who saves me."

Indeed, the most powerful ways in which God’s self-giving has been expressed is through the Imago Dei (the image of God) the one we prepare to welcome, the Babe in the manger, Jesus, our Savior.

The Creator’s self-giving ought to transform the way those who have been recreated in Jesus approach wealth and possessions. Especially in light of the fact that we cannot claim anything like absolute ownership over the things that we have, we must be free and unassuming with the things in our trust. Notice, however, that giving as God gives calls for more than just generosity with things and stuff. We must give of ourselves, something that is very hard to do. Moreover, the responsibility to engage in self-giving is not a call to sentimentality but to personal sacrifice. Only after understanding that we are not our own but were created and forgiven through what God gave to us, will we truly be able to give our stuff and ourselves away, following the pattern set by the Creator and Recreator: Jesus Christ.

Note: If you were unable to attend, download the Scheduled Maintenance or Auto Giving (giving by electronic funds transfer) form or pick one up in the lobby. Please return your Scheduled Maintenance and Auto Giving forms on or before December 10th and join us as we celebrate the gifts God is giving and sharing among us.

• Location: Theater Garage
• Start: 10 Dec 2006 - 10:00am
• Stop: 10 Dec 2006 - 10:00am

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