Lenten Prayer Service: ALMSGIVING

April 2, 2025 | Worship

On Wednesday, April 2, we gathered in the Sanctuary for our fourth Lenten Prayer Service. Pastor Steve Flint led a short study on the spiritual practice of Almsgiving.

Almsgiving is the act of donating money, goods, or other forms of assistance to those in need, seen as a way to demonstrate Christian love and compassion, and a means of fulfilling Christ’s call to care for the poor and vulnerable.

“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”

1 J O H N 3 : 1 7

Benefits of Almsgiving:

At the heart and the meaning of the word almsgiving are compassion and mercy. As we practice this discipline, we are being Christ to the world.
We are reminded to not get caught up in the ways of the world which are self-absorption, selfishness, and materialism.

Click here to see the handout (pdf).

Meeting Jesus

In his article, Kingdom Logic and the Ethics of Almsgiving, Rev. Dr. Stewart Clem says,

“God cares about the plight of the poor, but almsgiving is about more than making the world a better place. Since the earliest days of the Church, Christians have acknowledged the sacramental character of almsgiving… specifically tied to the personal encounter of giving to a beggar; there is no substitute to be found in civic forms of charity. Gary Anderson, in his excellent book, Charity: The Place of the Poor in the Biblical Tradition, summarizes the early Church’s outlook as follows:

‘As God had deigned to condescend to the unimaginable depths of the mortal person, so those who would claim to be God’s people must similarly condescend to the poorest of the poor. It is in the concrete act of assisting a poor person that one meets Christ.’ When we give money to beggars in the spirit of charity, it is not merely an opportunity to meet another person’s physical needs; it is an opportunity to meet Christ himself.”

In her article, Lent Demystified: What Is Almsgiving?, Christine McParland shares, “Through almsgiving, we remember how Christ denied himself and gave his life to provide for our need of redemption. And we offer our gratitude for this free gift of grace by loving and giving to others as if we were serving our Lord himself.

This is in line with the words of Jesus in Matthew 25, when He states during the parable of the sheep and the goats, “‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (verse 40.)

Almsgiving in Practice

How do we give alms in our modern age? How do we live out almsgiving in our daily lives? Pastor Steve has asked us to practice almsgiving (or make a plan for it) before next Wednesday’s prayer meeting.

We tend to think of GIVING MONEY to others, and this is true. As far as choosing a person or ministry, we are wise to pray and ask the Lord to lay a burden on our heart. If funds are tight, consider forgoing an expense such as buying lunch out, and sacrifice to demonstrate your commitment. But money is not the only way to give alms. Here are just a few suggestions of ways to practice almsgiving:

SERVE: Make a meal for a shut-in, visit strangers in a nursing home, help an elderly neighbor with yard work, give a ride to someone who does not own a car, show an act of kindness to someone who might be considered challenging to love, volunteer at a food bank or shelter, assist someone providing care for a sick loved one, tutor a student (we count on volunteers to help children with their homework in our After School Program; contact Jeanie Helman to serve.) You might consider serving the “foreigner” by volunteering through our own Agape English Ministry (contact Sue Marshall to serve.)
DONATE: Purchase gift cards for restaurants or grocery stores to hand out to people in need that the Lord might bring across your path. Give food to a food bank, such as Maranatha Ministries (Maranatha partners with King Street Church for our quarterly toiletry distributions.) Purge your closet or attic and give quality items to a ministry that serves our community; Little Daisy’s Closet is just one Christ-centered organization in Chambersburg with a great heart for families in poverty.

If we seek the Lord on this subject, we are confident that He will provide opportunities (and divine appointments!) to show love and generosity in His name.

Prayer Focus:

One of our church elders, Eldon Lehman, then led in prayer for Children’s Ministry, Student Ministry, and The Porch Young Adult Ministry.

The Discipline in Practice:

As an act of community and collective participation in this discipline we are invited to consider how you might engage in generous giving prior to Wednesday’s prayer time on April 9 at 6 pm. As the Lord calls you to almsgiving on other days please do so, but especially be intentional to invest in others prior to next Wednesday.