Galilaea tilapia3/8/2023 ![]() It was meant to flow from one’s heart like a river, no forcing and no holding back, the way it is with children. It was not to be given out of guilt or force or for the purpose of prestige or power. Whatever it was, it was meant to be given freely, as one felt moved to do so by the Lord. And sometimes it was given in the form of worship supplies, like acacia wood or bronze or silver or incense or spices. It often included some flour mixed with oil and wine and an animal, like a lamb. However, the freewill offering or the freewill sacrifice was completely voluntary. The Scripture readings this morning invite us to live our lives like the Sea of Galilee, as vessels for the inflow and outflow of divine generosity, as faithful stewards who bear the “joyful responsibility of sharing with others what have received from others.” In this morning’s Psalm, the poet gladly promises and pledges, saying, “I will offer you a freewill sacrifice and praise your Name, O LORD for it is good.” Now there were many different types of sacrifices and offerings that were expected to be made in the ancient Jewish Temple: the burnt offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering and much more. When people are on the receiving end of Generosity, it opens their hearts in a way that is deeply transformative and sends ripples of love outward into the universe.” ![]() ![]() The more we give, the more vital our lives, the bigger our spirits, and the deeper our living. When we open our hearts to love, we not only spread that love to others but also open ourselves to receiving love from others. When love flows out from within us, more flows in. “The human spirit, just like the seas, needs both inflow and outflow in order to foster life and create energy. From the southern banks of the Sea of Galilee the river makes its way into the Dead Sea, but there the river stops. Receiving and giving, like our relationship with. Ed Bacon, explains that the reason for the stark contrast between the two bodies of water is simple: “the Jordan River flows both into and out of the beautiful and vibrant Sea of Galilee. Peter’s fish” but the Dead Sea, which is more than 8 times saltier than the ocean, supports no life. The sea of Galilee supports an abundance of marine flora and fauna, including the delicious Galilaea tilapia which is known locally as “St. And if you do, you will likely experience the Sea of Galilee as cool and refreshing and teeming with life and activity and you will experience the Dead Sea as very salty and muddy and dead. Today, you can visit both of these bodies of water as I know some of you already have. Even more specifically, I invite us to reflect on the two bodies of water into which the Jordan River flows: the Sea of Galilee up in the north and the Dead Sea in the south. ![]() On this Sunday, as we begin our stewardship campaign, I invite us to continue reflecting on this image of a river, specifically the great river of the Holy Land: the River Jordan. Two Sundays ago, on our Homecoming Sunday (when we bounced back to church), I read a poem from the Christian poet Rainer Maria Rilke who prayed, “May what I do flow from me like a river, no forcing and no holding back, the way it is with children.” I invited us to live our lives like a river, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.
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