Prayer and Giving: Part 1 - How? Together and Apart
Giving and prayer are beautiful ways of following Jesus. Both take practice. That’s why we call them spiritual disciplines, or spiritual practices. We are always learning! This post begins a four-part series on prayer and giving, starting with how and when:
How? Together and Apart - giving and prayer as both communal and individual practices
When? Steady and Spontaneous - prayer and giving are regular practices, but also unplanned. Both are Spirit-led.
Then digging further:
Generous praying - prayer as a springboard to generosity
Prayerful giving - how can our prayer guide our giving?
Let’s start with looking at how. Giving and prayer are both communal and individual practices: things Christians do when gathered and also do on their own. Together and apart.
Praying in church
Christians pray together in church. I point out the obvious because when Jesus talks about praying in our closets, Christians don’t interpret this to mean we shouldn’t be “out of the closet” prayers as well.
How would we learn how to pray if no one taught us how to pray? I especially value opportunities to pray with people who have decades and decades of prayer experience. I’ve learned so much about patience and gentleness from how they pray. Do you have a prayer role model?
Praying outside of church
Praying together with other believers informs how we pray individually. We recall prayers we’ve learned. We may use devotional materials that our fellow church people are also using.
On my best days, I pray while I am waiting in line at the grocery store. It transforms the experience. It’s a solo activity, but informed by my experiences of praying in church.
Giving in church
Christians celebrate the offering. Digital giving means the collection plate doesn’t necessarily make the rounds, but Christian worship includes a time for giving.
We are “out of the closet” givers, although too often the offering takes place in solemn silence. I pray that churches can learn to tell stories of how faithful givers learned generosity.
The “left hand, right hand” story that is too frequently used to place a cone of silence over our generosity refers to giving alms, a specific type of giving to the poor. We shouldn’t boast about our giving, but if we don’t talk about our giving at all, how do people learn how to give? Like prayer, there is a time for both public and private giving.
Giving outside of church
Opportunities for individual giving abound. The cashier often asks if I’d like to make a donation to the local food bank. Sometimes I do, other times I keep to my regular weekly involvement in a grocery delivery group. I haven’t considered the question of whether I am more likely to donate if I pray while waiting in line, but that’s a good experiment!
People who are religiously active are more likely to donate to charities of all kinds, not just to places of worship. Learning how to give communally influences our individual giving, just as communal prayer influences our individual prayer.
There are so many connections between prayer and giving. How did you learn to pray? How did you learn to give? Is there a connection?
Next post will be When? Steady and Spontaneous, looking at regular and spontaneous prayer and giving.