The Miracle of Multiplication
I wonder if you've heard those stories about the cash point machines that,
because of some glitch in the computer, give out double or even treble the
amount you've asked for. It's amazing how news of such an error spreads
and a queue quickly forms at the ATM as people seek to benefit. In this case,
someone somewhere loses out -but the foundations of our capitalist economy are
built upon the premise that money does indeed multiply itself.
That, of course, is why the investors in Dragon's Den are willing to give their cash over to the entrepreneurs -their hope is that they will get more out of the new company than they have put in. In developing countries micro-loans have become a successful way for people to escape the poverty trap. A small loan, to help buy a goat for example, enables the family to earn money from the milk -enough to pay back the loan, look after their family and soon buy a second goat and so on.
This 'miracle of multiplication'seems to be a principle present in the nature of our world, and if it's true for the economy, then it's especially true in agriculture. Anyone with an allotment knows the way that a few seeds become a pile of fruit and vegetables by the end of the season. If the farmer was able to dig up only what he planted, there would be no point to it -but year after year he reaps so much more than he sows. To me this harvest principle tells us something of the generosity and grace of God. In this 'miracle of multiplication'the gifts of seeds, soil, sun and rain are transformed into the good food which sustains us day by day.
God invites us to participate in this process, but it's not just limited to agriculture or to the economy. Life itself seems to be guided by this principle. The people who refuse to sow acts of kindness, seem to reap a life of loneliness and misery; whilst those who offer of themselves seem somehow, in their generosity, always to receive back more than they give. Think about the joy that parents experience as a result of the love and care that they give to their children; or consider the enjoyment that many volunteers experience as they contribute their time for the benefit of a good cause.
This harvest, at our Kids Club on 10th October, we'll being making a collection of items that will be donated to Jimmy's Nightshelter. Why not join us as together we realise the truth in the words of Jesus, that it "It is more blessed to give than to receive."