Giving Tuesday

Here is a recap of the last few days: November 28 was Thanksgiving Day (I hope you had a good day of family, friends, and food); November 29 was Black Friday (the official kickoff of the consumerist Christmas season and the American version of the Running of the Bulls); November 30 was Rivalry Saturday (Georgia vs. Georgia Tech [Wow!], Alabama vs. Auburn [Quadruple wow!], Florida State vs. Florida [the Chomp got Chopped!], USC vs. UCLA [Yawn], etc.), December 1 was the First Sunday of Advent (Even so, come, Lord Jesus!), and December 2 was Cyber Monday (one of the busiest online shopping days of the year).

That brings us to today, Tuesday, December 3 which is Giving Tuesday.

You might be saying, “Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Rivalry Saturday, Advent, and Cyber Monday I know—but what is this ‘Giving Tuesday’?” According to the website givingtuesday.org, the mission of the Giving Tuesday movement is “to create a national day of giving at the start of the annual holiday season. It celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support non-profit organizations.” The goal is to have a kickoff to the Christmas giving season like we have a kickoff to the Christmas shopping season.

That’s a worthy goal. The Giving Tuesday movement neither accepts nor distributes donations; they instead encourage people to donate directly to the charitable non-profit organization of their choice.

Hopefully, we followers of Christ don’t need a special day to remind us to give and to serve. Hopefully, we are growing into a lifestyle that is built on sacrifice, service, and giving that are birthed out of a heart becoming always more filled with God’s love and grace. Still, like our Sunday worship reminds us that we are to worship all the time, an annual emphasis on giving can help to remind us of our ongoing privilege and responsibility to give.

Like anyone else, I am partial to the work of the organizations with which I am involved and that I support: the Church, Habitat for Humanity, Morningstar Children and Family Services, Rotary International, and All About Animals Rescue. You probably have your favorite causes, too. On this Giving Tuesday, I encourage all of us to support an organization or organizations that are doing what they can to make things better in this old world.

It needs all the help it can get.

In honor of the day, I present this Christmas classic by Elvis. As you (if you) listen to it, I invite you to change the words a little to "Why Can't Every Day Be Like Giving Tuesday?"

It should be ...