God has so many ways of speaking to us, in the strangest places and in the oddest moments. About a year ago, I was in Las Vegas at the consecration of Katherine Schori as Bishop of Nevada. After the joyous festivities, curiosity about this infamous city (which I had never visited before) prompted me to take a field trip. I went to the fabled "Strip," where the casinos are lined up in garish formation. I took only $10 with me (leaving all credit cards back at my distant hotel), to play the slot machines. (A pause here for anyone who needs to gasp in horror.)

On my last four quarters, the fruits lined right up, and out came a printed slip advising me to see the cashier. It wasn’t a BIG win, but it was enough for a hideous siren to issue from the machine, bringing bystanders over to offer congratulations. As I folded my winnings into my wallet, I thought of all the ways I could spend it. Some new clothes? A new sofa to replace the one we bought as newlyweds 31 years ago?

Just at that moment, the Word of God, which is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), poked me hard. This is a GIFT, Chilton. Everything you’re given is meant for God’s purposes. All of it, not just this windfall.

Of course, I made my inner protests. I deserve this. I work hard. Other people should be generous. But God’s Word is persistent. I could feel my heart turn with (yes, I confess it) a tug of reluctance. But here’s the most amazing thing: No sooner had I let go and let God than a soaring sense of joy settled upon me. It feels good to take up my responsibility of caring for the human community, to do good with what I have, to thank God with my giving. If anything like this has ever happened to you—and if it hasn’t, I pray that it will—you know what I mean.

So, I wrote checks to some ministries. One went to our own Trinity Jubilee Center in Lewiston, where hungry people are fed three times each week in an atmosphere of the tenderest dignity. These gifts were above and beyond the normal giving to which Mike and I have committed ourselves. The joy of giving grew, infinitely greater than what the cashier handed me across the counter in the casino.

ALL OF LIFE IS GIFT. Not just our windfalls, but everything we have. God’s tenacious Word searches out each one of us, converting us to greater generosity, persuading us that our Abundant God does indeed put us to be a blessing to each other:

Do you seek joy? You will find it in the way of generosity, the path of sacrifice. How tempting it is to heed the world’s illusions that better clothes or a new sofa will bring us love, or grant us joy. No one loves me any the less because I show up in the same comfy navy blue suit I wore last time. A new sofa has no power to make a home joyful. God’s gifts of life - and love and joy - greet us each morning, and God gives us those gifts to give away.

Thanking our Abundant God, with you and for you, I invite you to plant your feet on the path of generosity. With my love and prayers for us all,