Sharing

And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” Luke 3:10-11

I have been saddened by critics who have called our present administration socialist as when I hear the same recommendations, I think of our faith. It seems that embedded in the Jewish and Christian traditions is the requirement and expectation of sharing what we have. Not just our leftovers and our cast-offs, but one of our two cloaks. A rabbi I met recently told me that he community had made arrangements with a farmer to glean a his fields and the produce is given to the needy in the area. They also teach people how to cook with all sorts of produce. Our Native traditions teach that what we have is to be shared, not horded. The term 'Indian giver' came from the new arrivals misunderstanding of what sharing truly meant.

I ask God's strength today, so that I might share half of all that I have, and that I might take this passage to heart. Our advertising tells us what we lack and that we need more. I want to start living with the abundance I know I have and share it with others. May we all be encouraged today, to share with others, so that the world might know the hand of God in our midst.