Atlanta Westside Presbyterian Church
Share Your Circles
Share Your Stuff
Share Your Burdens
Share Your Attention
Leading Well
Psalm 40
God Save the King
Too Close, For Comfort
The Riches of the Glory of This Mystery
di Walter Henegar
Joseph of Arimathea is the patron saint of sharing your circles—all the human networks that connect resources to needs. Even Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary," despite their apparent powerlessness, used their nonthreatening social status to become vital eyewitnesses to Jesus' resurrection. In the economy of God, grace is free and our participation is a gift, opening up limitless possibilities to be used by him for the good of the world.
Jesus loves rich people and wants everyone to be "rich"—so that we might share what we have with others. His interaction with a rich young man reveals that stuff is never just stuff, but sits right next to our hearts, often choking out the light of God's face. The only way to find the motivational thrust to release our stuff is by receiving the free grace of God, trusting that in him we have more than everything we need.
People who share the burdens of others must be willing to share their own. Jesus modeled this habit throughout his earthly ministry, especially in his agonizing night in the garden of Gethsemane. While his burden was utterly unique, Christians can follow his example by first sharing our burdens with our Father, then sharing some things with someone (not everything with everyone). And even when people fail us, we still need them. Resources Consulted: A Praying Life, by Paul Miller
Attention is the most basic form of generosity. Jesus modeled this attentiveness in his unusual interaction with the Syrophoenician woman. Like her, we who know the gracious attention of Jesus are liberated from self-absorption to give our attention to others, even if only for a few minutes. Seen people see people. Resources consulted: - Making Room, Christine Pohl - Secular Creed, Rebecca McLaughlin
missing description
The entire book of Colossians
Paul closes his letter to Colossae with personal greetings that illustrate what grace looks like in community. It includes humbling the exalted and exalting the humble; sharing ordinary life together; a deep desire to reconcile with people who hurt or disappoint us; gratitude for those who "get" us culturally and above all for those who "get" the Gospel; inconspicuous service and persistent prayer; holy agnosticism about what we don't know and holy curiosity about the storylines God hasn't finished writing.