Thoughts About the Grace of Giving

[350 words] This time of year, many don’t think twice about volunteering in a food bank, in a soup kitchen, or in taking a neighbor some extra peanut brittle made for an office party. This time of year, it doesn’t take much prompting for someone to drop some pocket change into the rounded-metal canisters sitting near to those folks who ring the hand bells incessantly as you enter your favorite stores. This time of year, everyone seems eager to want to give just a little bit more to ease someone else’s burden. Everyone seems a little more cheerful and wanting to make someone’s day a little brighter. This time of year, one might argue that the world gets a small, albeit, misguided taste of what it is like inside the church year-round. It is a beautiful thing to know that regardless of circumstances, the church will be there for each…