Sharing

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” ’ John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’ And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’ Luke 3:1-14

In many Indigenous tribes here, we have a tradition of giveaways. Often when one is being honored, the person being honored will hold a giveaway, where precious items are given to all the guests, strangers and friends alike. When Europeans arrived on this continent they didn't understand the practice, considering us to be ignorant and backward. Yet we hear John being asked what we should do, and he replies that we should share our coats and our food, not make profits and not extort by violence or any other means. We find ourselves in a time when giving doesn't seem to be the cultural norm anymore, yet we are called, as the ones who follow Jesus, to share and give from our abundance to all.

Loving Creator, you shower us abundantly

bringing tender plants to full maturity

harvesting the riches of the fertile earth

and giving us what we need to live daily.

We have become selfish and very greedy

unsatisfied with enough, we hoard and hide

never seeing or thinking about the needs of others

always putting ourselves and our satisfaction first.

Help us Lord to see your tremendous abundance

turn us away from selfish desires so we might see

the aching needs that are present in every town

and recognize your face in that of the outcast and stranger. Amen.