A few years ago when working for Church Mission Society, I visited a slum in south Beirut to deliver aid to Syrian refugees. I met one family, where mum had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl in the early hours; they called her Shams (Arabic for ‘Damascus’). Sham’s extended family of 15 people shared one room. It was heartbreaking to learn Sham’s mother wasn’t present because she was out begging for food. Yes, just hours after giving birth! Having endured childbirth; her body was ‘broken’, and now she was self-sacrificially out on the streets to provide for her children. Something of this encounter resonated with the ‘new covenant’ Jesus refers to in Luke 22. On the night that Jesus was betrayed he gave grateful thanks to God, Eucharisteó. Holy Communion is the centerpiece of our worship, the gospel contained and proclaimed in bread and wine. Generosity and sacrifice are the Sine qua non, the essential ingredient without which Holy Communion is devoid of meaning. Jesus gave thanks for all that would ensue beyond his suffering and the giving of his life as the ultimate gift. As we reflect and give thanks, we are also called to live sacrificial lives in remembrance of him. The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion remind us the sacraments are witnesses, by which God works invisibly in us, to quicken, strengthen and confirm our faith. With Christ as host, and we guests at his table; in the sacred moment we partake of Holy Communion, Jesus comes among us, and not only gives us food for the journey, he also invites us into a visceral and corporeal reality where his nourishment unleashes limitless generosity. In Dethroning Mammon, Making Money Serve Grace (2016), Justin Welby reminds us that, as Jesus poured out his own life for others, we his followers must transition to an understanding of the abundance of God’s economy. As we develop a lifestyle of habits that dethrone mammon our outrageous generosity will be marked as ones who trust that when we give away, more will come back.
27th June – Sue Hammersley – Luke 22 1-46
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Sue Hammersley
Sheffield
What kind of generosity do you see in today’s reading from Luke’s Gospel? I see the generosity of Peter and John, responding to Jesus’ instructions to prepare the Passover meal. I see the generosity of the owner of the house whose hospitality opens up a sacred space. I see the generosity of Jesus, still trying to help his disciples understand what lies ahead as he takes bread, gives thanks, breaks it and shares it with them; an act which is not restricted to one time and place but is to be repeated again and again, reminding us that he is always with us, always present. But, we also see the betrayal of Jesus by Judas, the prediction of Peter’s denial and the inability of the disciples to stay awake. Throughout Jesus remains present, serving them, entreating them to recognise the urgency of the kingdom, reminding them that God is with them, even in their grief. The generosity of Jesus’ presence penetrates the greatest difficulties we will ever face. It isn’t a gift of possession but a gift of his very self, his life, his suffering, his death and his life beyond death, showing us that love is stronger than all that threatens to overwhelm it. Jesus teaches us to be generous but not necessarily in the ways we might imagine. It isn’t about what we have but who we are. We come to the table whether we are rejoicing or anxious, well fed or hungry, confident or feeling inadequate. As we eat we remember, as if for the first time, that Jesus is with us, always with us. When our hearts are open to receive, then we truly have something worth sharing. Our lives are God’s gift to the world, lives of service, relationships of genuine love, acts of hospitality and the simplicity of being fully present with those around us (even when we are physically separated). This way of living is costly, we often feel as though we are falling short, and that is why we need to return to Christ again and again and again. ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”