Tower and Town, May 2015 (view the full edition)Clergy Letter: Christian AidA couple of years ago I was part of a Christian Aid team collecting door to door in my local area. It was about 6pm so as we carefully opened and closed gates, knocked on doors and explained our errand we could hear TVs and the general noise of domestic life in the background. People were tired but busy cooking, organising their children and looking after their gardens. From our point of view it was a good time to call because people were at home, but having been 'on the other side of the front door' I knew that a ring on the door bell at that time of day can add to the pressure of family life. That's why the generosity of one household in particular is etched on my mind. I called at 'just the wrong moment' as they were serving their evening meal. In the midst of the dog barking and the children jumping around to see who was at the door, the householder grinned and cheerily grabbed a handful of coppers and 5ps from the loose change jar on the windowsill, reached through the open window and dropped it in my Christian Aid carrier bag. The image of a handful of coins being offered through the open window of a slightly steamy kitchen has stayed with me because it reminds me that generosity isn't only measured in pounds and pence. It's also measured in terms of our willingness to reach out beyond the boundaries of our busy and demanding lives and to offer the hand of friendship to others. The Bible tells us that human beings are created 'in the image of God' and as a Christian I believe that when we are generous with our time, our talents and our resources we demonstrate our connection with him. We offer something from the 'small change jar' of our life experience that we hope and trust will be of help to someone else. But we do more than that - we also remind one another that God, in his generosity, sent Jesus into the world to offer friendship to every human being in each generation so that we may all experience the fullness of life we long for. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3: 16) Miri Keen |