Thanks!

Read Matthew 6:1-4.

We have an obsession with being thanked. I can't tell you how many times I've been...well, let's just say corrected (this is a family blog, after all) for not saying "thank you" quickly enough when someone has donated to the church. I am always thankful for great office managers who help me remember to do that. It's not that I'm not grateful. I certainly am. And it's not because I am thinking of this passage, though maybe I should be.

Jesus says pretty clearly that if our focus is on being noticed for our gifts in this life, then that's all the "reward" we will get (literally "payment" or "hire"). He even tells us to do something impossible (another example of Jesus-hyperbole): "When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" (6:3). I don't know how to do that, but the point Jesus is making is this: your giving should be because you want to make a difference, you want to help the needy, you want to impact the world, not because you're going to get a "thank you" or a tax deduction or because you're going to be noticed.

This is a hard word for us to understand in a world where people give big gifts and expect to be noticed, recognized, even celebrated (maybe have their name on a plaque). Many years ago, a family in the church donated a piece of artwork to be displayed in the sanctuary. When it arrived (I didn't know it was coming), the person making the delivery told me who donated it, but that had been clear they wanted it kept anonymous. So I did what I was told. We displayed the art, but I didn't publicly acknowledge the giver. I later found out "anonymous" did, in fact, want to be acknowledged. In a very brusque way, the giver confronted me one day. "Didn't you see what we donated?" Yes, I did, and I was grateful. "Well, why didn't you say anything about it?" Apparently, "anonymous" means different things to different people.

When you give to the needy, when you give of what you have, Jesus says, don't expect or seek recognition. If you get recognition here, that's all the reward you will get. Instead, seek approval from your heavenly Father, because that kind of reward lasts for eternity. Can we be content with recognition from God alone?