🙌It's the Friday Call to Worship!🙌

My husband and I sat in a crowded auditorium this week for our oldest son's high school valediction. The headmaster's final address to the students encouraged them to shape their lives around generosity and connection. He spoke of Nipun Mehta's "Karma Kitchen", a generosity experiment that has become a global chain of restaurants. Diners at Karma Kitchen receive a menu with no prices, a check that reads $0.00, and a note that says, "Your meal was a gift from someone who came before you... We invite you to pay it forward for those who dine after you."

Every person, no matter their philosophy or faith, is impacted by this sort of reckless generosity. We're compelled by something that feels so good in a world that seems overwhelmingly bad. Mehta's alma mater, UC Berkley, researched his projects and published the findings in a paper called, "Paying More When Paying For Others." Neuroscience has proven we are literally wired for connection and generosity. It's part of our intrinsic design, and there's far more to it than karma.

Karma is a Hindu and Buddhist belief that actions in your current and previous lives determine your future life, as well as create a cause/effect chain of morality. But our greatest hope isn't in karma, morality or good deeds. It's in Jesus.

Diners in His house sit at a table that's already been prepared for them. They know their bill has been paid in full. Nobody expects a check when they come home to their Daddy's table anyway. A note has already been written into their DNA. "Your eternal life and place at this table is a gift from Someone who went before you. He paid it forward for every son and daughter. You get to tell them the good news!"

Listen to Charity Gayle's "You are Glorious".