“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it."Psalm 24:1

In our consumer-obsessed age, Christians have a unique voice when it comes to the things we own and what’s “ours”.

Referencing the currency and everyday livelihood of the ancient world, the Psalmist reminds us that the “cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:9) belong to God. The book of James tells us that everything we have comes from God, including “every good and perfect gift” (James 1: 17).

What is the “cattle” or currency of our day? Do we know and remember that everything we have we received as God’s gifts? How can we take steps to truly put all of our money and possessions in God’s hands, as stewards of God’s earth?

This tax season, a group of Christians will make a gift out of our tax returns. We Americans tend to spend this income on ourselves – paying down debt or saving, or spending on big electronics or vacations – but we’re making an effort to try something different: recognizing our privilege and making a gift to fight poverty instead.

At Boston Faith & Justice Network, through our Lazarus at the Gate curriculumand other tools, we ask hard questions about what it means to be a follower of Jesus in one of the wealthiest parts of the world. We look for ways to live more simply in order to give generously. The Lazarus curriculum ends in a group gift, and over the years these gifts have gone to all kinds of good work: like a community health program in rural Kenya, an education farm fighting hunger and promoting nutrition all over the world, and a midwife training collective in Senegal.

Join us this tax season and give!

Whether you have participated in giving through Lazarus at the Gate or not, this is a season to find new ways to acknowledge that everything we have comes from God, and to remember our brothers and sisters around the world who live with so much less.

Contact Elizabeth Green to connect with this giving event: elizabeth@bostonfaithjustice.org