February 2019: There is Enough

1/21/2019

Our "Song of the Month" for February 2019 was composed several years ago by my friend, Kerri Meyer. In the recording below, you can hear Kerri Meyer teaching the song to a group of friends at church for the first time. The sheet music can be found in Singing In Community, a songbook published by Augsburg Fortress.

The lyrics for the main part of the song are simply:

There is enough
There is enough
There is enough
Oh--enough and some to share

An optional second part or descant goes

God has blessed Her people
God has blessed Her people
God has blessed Her people
God has blessed us.

[Note: Of course we know that God is neither male nor female, God is GOD, but we sometimes choose to use gendered "he" or "she" language to refer to God because it feels more personal. If you prefer not to use gendered language for God, you can simply sing "God has blessed the people" instead.]

QUESTIONS
for daily reflection and discussion

Where did you see, feel, or experience "enough and some to share" (abundance) today?
When did you see, feel, or experience "not enough" (scarcity) today?

PRACTICE
Experiencing Abundance through Generosity

Decide how much money your household will set aside each week for sharing (tithes, offerings, charitable giving, gifts, fundraisers, etc.)
Decide with whom you want to share money each week (church, school, non-profits, charities, etc.)
Go to the bank and withdraw your "sharing money" in small bills (quarters, $1 bills, or $5 bills, depending on the size of your household and the amount of your weekly gift.)
Label envelopes or jars with the names of those organizations and/or individuals with whom you want to share money each week. (If you have non-readers in your household, be sure that your labels include pictures or symbols as well as words!)
Gather all members of your household together, and divide the "sharing" money equally among all household members.
Begin singing "There is enough". Continue singing until each household member has divided all of their "sharing" money into the envelopes/jars of their choice.
HINT: You don't have to go to the bank every week. Once your "sharing" money has been allocated for the week, you can tally it up and make your gifts by check or online. That way you can re-use the same coins/bills for each week!

FURTHER THOUGHTS
from Mother Sylvia

A few weeks ago the Gospel assigned for Sunday was the Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11). I wonder what it says about God that this was Jesus' first miracle? Turning water into wine? LOTS AND LOTS of wine? I believe that the story of the Wedding at Cana reminds us that, from ancient times until today, our human economies and behaviors are often based on our anxious concern that there is NOT enough. Meanwhile, the divine economy and behavior is always revealing a deeper truth--that there IS enough; enough and some to share!

Several years ago, when we were living in the San Francisco Bay Area, money was REALLY tight in our family. Anytime my kids asked for anything, my answer was always the same "We don't have enough money for that." Soon I heard my oldest child begin to echo me. Johanna wants dance lessons? "We don't have enough money for that!" Lucia wants a goldfish? "We don't have enough money for that." YIKES. This was NOT the refrain I wanted imprinted on my children's hearts as they grew up! This was not the refrain I wanted imprinted on my heart and mind for that matter! "We don't have enough" is a refrain that very quickly makes me anxious and grouchy and stingy and scared.

We didn't have much. We could barely pay our exorbitant Bay Area rent each month, much less offer a full "tithe" of our earnings to the church. But I firmly believe that everyone can share something. And so we chose to start where we were--sharing $30 a week. And we decided to do it in a way that included our whole family and all of our senses. I went to the bank and got $30 in singles. We sat around the kitchen table and discussed who we, as a family, wanted to share our money with. Together we labeled and decorated four envelopes: one envelope for "Church", one envelope for "Food Pantry", one envelope for "Homeless", one envelope for "Animal Shelter." We divided our dollars up evenly around the table--each of the 5 people in our our family had 6 dollar bills to share in hand. And as each person divided up their dollars between the envelopes on the table we sang:

"There is enough! There is enough! There is enough--oh enough and some to share!"

As we sang, the weight of anxiety and "not enough" began to lift. There were still bills to pay. But we were filled with the deep joy and assurance of remembering that we did have enough-- enough and some to share! With this practice and this song, a new refrain had been planted in my children's heart. And in mine.

It may be counterintuitive, but I know no better cure for anxiety than gratitude; no better cure for scarcity than generosity. The song of scarcity is loud and strong. We learn it early, rehearse it often, and hear it everywhere. But we can choose to sing a different song. This song is not new. In the beginning it was woven by the Creator into the very fabric of creation. It is the song of angels and archangels and all the saints of heaven. And it is the deep song of our own hearts, as well:

"There is enough! There is enough! There is enough--oh enough and some to share!"

2 Comments

Robert Batton

2/6/2019 12:01:59 pm

I liked it (all of the above) very much Mother Sylvia.
Blessings to you.

Father B+

Don DeNoon

2/22/2019 07:45:02 am

I am inspired and hopeful about the possibilities for every household at St. Mark's to embrace the reality that "there is enough and some to share." Thank you Mother Sylvia for telling the poignant story about your family's discovery that even though "We don't have enough money for that" there was enough to share.