Since the beginning of the year, we have been exploring the topic of Money as Prayer. Our mission statement says we see “money as a doorway to spiritual transformation.” Prayer is also a doorway.
As we bring this series to a close, I want to offer a final lectio divina on a passage from the 2 Corinthians and my own reflection about it. This passage from 2 Corinthians is about a gift from one early Christian community to another that was experiencing hardship.
I invite you to read this passage aloud twice. The first time, let this passage wash over you. The second time, notice what word or phrase comes to mind. Then I invite you to sit with the word or phrase for a 5-10 minutes in reflection–either with a journal or in silence. For more information on how to practice lectio divina, watch this video. I’ve included some reflection questions if they are helpful after the passage.
I love hearing the way you engage with these emails. If this reflection inspires, encourages, or challenges you–do reply with a quick note about what came up for you!
With gratitude for all the gifts flowing in and through us,
Sawyer
2 Corinthians 8:7-14
Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.
8 I do not say this as a command, but I am, by mentioning the eagerness of others, testing the genuineness of your love. 9 For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 10 And in this matter I am giving my opinion: it is beneficial for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something. 11 Now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. 12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. 13 For I do not mean that there should be relief for others and hardship for you, but it is a question of equality between 14 your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may also supply your need, in order that there may be equality. 15 As it is written,
“The one who had much did not have too much,
and the one who had little did not have too little.”
Questions for meditation:
What word or phrase stood out for you? What does that word call to mind and heart? What might the Spirit be saying to you through that word? What comes up for you as you think about abundance and needs? What ways are you being invited into generosity?
Sawyer’s Reflection
One of our Wisdom & Money circles is making a group gift to support people impacted by Hurricane Helene. We have sat with this passage as a way to ground our listening and our coordination. It is the first time this circle has made a group gift. It is also the first time many members of the circle are making a gift with others.
As someone who is a part of the group, I have been reflecting on how this gift—this flow of money— is a prayer we are praying. We are indeed praying for the recovery of the Asheville, NC community that was so devastated by the hurricane last fall. That people would find stability and be able to create their lives anew moving forward after such material loss. This prayer for the recipients of the money feels very evident to me.
And…
The prayer that I am praying—the one that feels much more near and dear to my heart–is a prayer for community and learning with this circle. In the passage, Paul is teaching the Corinthians about a group money experiment. It is rare in our individualistic culture for groups of people to make collective gifts. Even in Paul’s time, it was rare. It is often a little messy and it generally takes more time than giving a gift alone. There are details to coordinate that can make us wonder if it is worth the while. Yet, I am a firm believer that even with the inconveniences of acting in community–working out all the details, the extra time, the unforeseen growth, etc.—doing things together is so much better than going it alone. In fact, I believe that only in community can I experience the transformation I am seeking: a world where everyone is thriving.
This is my prayer right now as we give this collective gift:
Teach us, oh God, how to be generous with each other—
in the little and big gifts of our day to day lives.Teach us, oh God, to move with your spirit and with each other,
To know when it is time to wait and when it is time to act.Teach us, oh God, for we have forgotten the way.