Harbor Covenant Church, Gig Harbor WA

Then [Jesus] said, “Beware! Don’t be greedy for what you don’t have. Real life is not measured by how much we own.” Luke 12:15, New Living Translation

After being back from the Dominican Republic for a few weeks now, my head and heart are still sorting through that experience. What have I learned? How do I see world differently now? What is the common thread of kingdom living that ties us to our Dominican brothers and sisters when our lives are so very different culturally?

While I am still processing all of this, one thing in particular made a big impression on me was the generosity and hospitality of the believers we met. Now a generous spirit is common to Christians I’ve met all across our country, so I want to make it clear that I am not critical of American believers for not being giving people. They most certainly are. But I was struck by the generosity of Dominicans because they shared with us out of their daily means, not from their excess. They brought out their best for us (or purchased what they normally would not get for themselves) not only as an expression of love for us, but also as a demonstration of their faith in God. Because it is God who provides, they consider, we are free to share with others with little or no concern of going without.

I want to be a giving, generous, hospitable person. But how often does my sharing with others come from my excess, my leftovers, the crumbs from my table?

My first thought is that this is an issue of faith for me. That is, I wonder if I have enough faith in God’s provision for me that I am willing to give freely. But my Dominican experience (and the words of Jesus from Luke 12:15) have caused me to think more deeply about this issue. Dominican believers don’t give because they have the faith that God will make up to them what they give to others. No, they have learned the lesson that life itself is not defined by our possessions but rather by that very relationship with God and with others.

Another way to put it: We Americans tend to view God’s blessings in relationship to the extent to which our standard of living is maintained. Dominican believers actually expect very little from God materially (by our standards), yet see His abundance everywhere in relationships.

So who is experiencing the “real life” Jesus speaks of?

Now the answer is not, necessarily, that we Americans sell our possessions and live in poverty. But it does certainly call us to live with a different view of our possessions and, more importantly, a different view of our relationship to other people. I think that was what Jesus was pointing to in the Sermon on the Mount when he said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be yours as well” (Matthew 6:33). If we, like the leaders and pastors serving Children of the Nations, really had a kingdom vision for our world, a picture of what our community would look like if God’s will were to be done “on earth as it is in heaven;” and if that vision would drive our every step of life, I believe we would:

• Release our stranglehold on all our possessions

• Abandon our ambition for acquiring stuff and status

• Become truly thankful for all that God provides

• Begin to see our wellbeing as connected to the wellbeing of others

• Find our wealth in rich, healing, and reconciling relationships

Now the believers in the Dominican are not perfect. They are sinners saved by grace, just as we are. They struggle to trust and follow Christ in faith just as we do, and they also have room to grow in their understanding and practice of loving community. But they have a gift to share with us, if we are open to receive it: An abundance of joy that can only come when our hearts are not burdened by a boatload of “stuff,” and are hungry for an abundance of relationships, with God and others. I want to be rich like that! How ‘bout you?

~ ~ ~

Harbor Covenant Church

5601 Gustafson Drive NW

Gig Harbor Washington 98335

253 851 8858

info@harborcovenant.org