Monthly Archives: March 2021

M. Daniel Carroll
Scripture Press Ministries Professor of Biblical Studies and Pedagogy
Wheaton College

In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God. One afternoon at about three o’clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius.” He stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” He answered, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God” (Acts 10:1-4)

Lent usually is associated with personal sacrifice, with abstaining from something that we feel has become too important in our lives. In addition to that pledge, there is the challenge of fasting, so countercultural in our consumer society. This self-deprivation sets the tone for repentance and serious reflection for Holy Week.

For the salvation gained at the cross we also are grateful. Lent entails, then, outward looking spiritual disciplines, through which we express our thanks tangibly for God’s grace by sharing with those in need. Authentic reverence is inseparable from charity. Almsgiving is an ancient practice that may be new to us. We may find examples of it in surprising places.

This story in our reading is one such example. What impact would it have had on first century readers? Cornelius is a commander of the occupying imperial army! But he was a God-fearer and a generous almsgiver, whose alms pleased God. The text does not say what Cornelius shared with others, but the people spoke well of this Gentile’s liberality. A worthy model to imitate!

This encounter with Cornelius also afforded Peter the opportunity to testify of the Good News. Through almsgiving we provide material necessities, but it also may open doors to confess the One whom we celebrate at Lent. Give and be prepared to be surprised!

Prayer: Father, teach us to be charitable to the needy in the name of the Crucified and Risen Christ. Soften our hearts, loosen our tongues. Amen.

Dr. Laura Merwin

He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”  (Luke 21: 1-4)

Almsgiving is an act of justice: in a world where no goods are equally distributed, almsgiving is an effort to rectify this imbalance.

It is also an act of mercy: the almsgiver does not ask whether the recipient deserves their contribution.

But even the most creative philanthropists and generous billionaires have failed—and will always fail—to establish on this earth true justice and perfect mercy. Only God has this power.

Yet Jesus could not have been clearer in his appeal, his demand, that we care for the poor. In almsgiving, he urges us to emulate—however poorly—the gift of grace that has been given to us. We are asked, in short, to contribute to building the kingdom of God.

I can’t pretend to understand what the widow was thinking when she put her two copper coins in the box. I suspect she was under no illusion as to the ultimate power of her contribution to change her society, to do anything more than briefly relieve one or two lives. But her small act joins her with other almsgivers in her time and ours, and all of us to the ultimate source of justice and mercy. When we pray thy kingdom come, it isn’t a prayer of passivity—it’s a commitment to see, to the best of our limited ability, that the kingdom does come.

Prayer: Dear God, only with your aid and in your name do we dare to take on the task of building your kingdom. Help us to do it humbly and faithfully. Amen,

Dr. Carl Schalk

While he [Jesus] was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine with him; so he went in and took his place at the table. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not first wash before dinner. Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? So give for alms those things that are within; and see, everything will be clean for you. (Luke 11: 37-41)

Many people think of Lent as a time to “give up” something—a favorite dessert or too much television. Such superficial examples usually make little difference in our life. Martin Luther in his Small Catechism suggests “adding” a daily discipline of prayer he calls Morning and Evening Blessing.  Both follow the same outline, are simple, direct, and consist of four points:

• Make the sign of the cross, invoking God’s name into which we are baptized: “God the Father, Son (+), and Holy Spirit, watch over me. Amen.’”
• Say the Apostles Creed and/or the Lord’s Prayer.
• Say the prayer for Morning and Evening Blessing

Luther concludes: “You are to go to your work joyfully” [Morning Blessing] or “go to sleep quickly and cheerfully.” [Evening Blessing].

This spiritual exercise begins with acknowledging the God in whose name we were baptized, leads to confessing the faith of the universal Church, and proceeds to the prayer in which our Lord teaches us how to pray, concluding with a prayer of thanks for the day and /or protection through the coming night. This regular discipline moves us beyond an understanding of prayer as simply asking for things. Instead, it moves us to understand prayer as being shaped to God’s ends and purposes, not something which we use to shape God to our ends.

Luther’s Morning and Evening Blessings may be used individually or as a family devotion. Recited aloud at a modest pace, they allow time for the words to penetrate our thoughts. They are a rich spiritual exercise for Lent or, as Luther suggests, for every morning and evening.

Prayer for morning:   I thank you, my Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that you would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please you. For into your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

Prayer for evening: I give thanks to you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have graciously protected me today, and I ask you to forgive me all my sins, where I have done wrong, and graciously protect me tonight. For into your hands I commend myself: my body, my soul, and all that is mine.  Let your holy angel be with me, so that the wicked foe may have no power over me.  Amen.

Gwen Gotsch

Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:1-4)

“Beware,” says Jesus, of “practicing your piety before others to be seen by them.” Let your almsgiving “be done in secret.” There is no heavenly reward for sharing your wealth with others when you do it in a way that’s meant to draw attention to yourself.

What is Jesus getting at? Is it simply that showing off is in bad taste? Or that true piety and true charity are their own reward? I think there’s more at stake here. Jesus is saying something about how we are called to live together in God’s new kingdom.

Giving can be surprisingly complicated. Givers have power, since they have something of value to give, and they may have expectations about how gifts are to be used. Recipients may feel an uncomfortable obligation that can be discharged only by giving something of equal value in return, or by showing deference and respect for the giver. Thus almsgiving (and piety as well) can be weaponized and used to reinforce who’s up and who’s down, who has power and who does not. 

Don’t go down that road, says Jesus. This is not how things work in the kingdom of God. Give your alms in secret. Don’t even make a show for yourself. Just send your gifts on their way to do the work of caring for all, so that all may flourish equally and the dignity of each child of God, have and have-not, is treasured and sustained.

Prayer: Lord of all, help me to be generous and selfless as I serve you and the people of your kingdom. Amen.

This week we focus on almsgiving. This word comes from the Greek eleemosyne meaning “mercy” or “pity.” It is charity given to the needy as an expression of gratitude to our Maker for the gift of grace.  It usually takes the form of monetary or food donations.

Rev. Robert Burke

If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be. Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, “The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,” and therefore view your needy neighbor with hostility and give nothing; your neighbor might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt. Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, “Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:7-11)

It’s mid-November, in the midst of a spiking coronavirus pandemic, as this devotion is being written. Since mid-March, our usual celebrations of Easter, graduations, national holidays and family weddings, baptisms, confirmations and funerals have mostly been virtual. Thanksgiving and Christmas will have a different feel this year.

To slow down the growth of the virus, we are asked to do simple things: wear a face covering, keep ourselves at least 6 feet from others and wash our hands often—acts of mercy, if you will. These actions will help protect us from others and—perhaps even more important—protect others from us!

Almsgiving—one of Lent’s disciplines—is an act of mercy. “Give liberally and be ungrudging in what you do” says our text. We understand that to include food and money for those who are poor and needy. In the context of the text, that’s true.

The pandemic has seriously affected life all over the planet. I would hope we have begun to learn that I am not the center of the universe. Those around me become the object of my continuing love and concern. What I do for them, liberally and ungrudgingly—whether with food or money, or by considering their physical welfare as a primary concern—is done because I respect the whole community.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, keep my heart open to be liberal and ungrudging in my love and concern for my neighbor in need. Amen