If You Stay Ready, You Don't Have to Get Ready
Know who you really are.
Being, more than doing, is the key to success in the field of fundraising
Each of the four Gospels in the Bible tells the story of Jesus in its own way. Each has its own way of starting the Jesus story.
Mark starts with John the Baptist and an adult Jesus. Luke has prophets and angels, Quirinius, shepherds, and a baby in a manger. John starts with a poem about the Word made flesh.
The Gospel of Matthew starts with “an account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1) It is literally the list of names, parents and children, generation upon generation, connecting Abraham to David to Joseph the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
As I was reading it this week, my mind wandered away from Perez and Zerah and Hezron to ponder my own forebears — my father Milton and my grandfather Ben.
Grampa Ben was born to Norwegian immigrants who had settled around Mount Vernon, South Dakota. There were thirteen children; Ben was third, and the second son. Only the first-born of the seven sons could take over the farm. So Ben left the farm to become a mechanic. He worked on B-52 bombers at the base outside Rapid City. He had the Ford garage in Avon. Eventually he settled his family in Mitchell (home of the World’s Only Corn Palace) fixing cars and small engines in a tiny shop under the viaduct. Ben taught Sunday School and ushered at First Lutheran Church for…well, forever.
His eldest child, Milton, went to college at Augustana College in Sioux Falls SD. There Milt met his Marjorie, and moved her to Houston where he pursued a Ph.D. in chemistry. Marj bore him a son, and they named him Paul, because there was no angel to dictate otherwise. Upon completion of degree, the three moved back to Sioux Falls and Dad taught chemistry at Augustana for…well, forever.
So far, Paul has done a lot of stuff in quite a few places, which did not include farming near Mount Vernon, South Dakota.
You see, had Grandpa been the oldest, he could have taken over the farm from his father. Until his oldest son took over the operation. Eventually handing it down to his oldest son.
Things didn’t work out that way. I’m fine with that! Honestly, I wouldn’t even be able to locate the farm place, or recognize my distant cousins who live there, hopefully in content prosperity.
I am content to write this Substack about being a fundraiser. My working premise is that being, more than doing, is the key to success in the field of fundraising. Self-awareness yields more than doing the steps in the Donor Cycle just right.
In my genealogical mind-wandering, I was speculating about what I might be doing now, had there been a small shift in birth-order three generations back.
But Matthew was up to something much bigger in his genealogy: the identity of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Not because he cracked the code and did everything right. Rather, Jesus embodied the promise of salvation, even as a baby. He was, He is, salvation.
Salvation is not our work, but God’s doing,
Last Sunday my church choir sang Bach’s cantata “Wachet Auf.” The lyrics are from The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, the parable of the bridesmaids. Ten bridesmaids were waiting for the bridegroom. Five bridesmaids were ready, bringing oil for their lamps; the other five were ill-prepared. He was late, they fell asleep. When at last the bridegroom came, the five who were ready went with him, but the others were shut out. Wake up, stand up, be ready to meet Him.
I have a patch on my gym bag:
IF YOU STAY READY, YOU DON’T HAVE TO GET READY
(Note to the Olympic committee: don’t get your hopes up about me. Not ready. Sorry. It’s just a patch.)
The good news of Christmas: Salvation is not our work, but God’s doing, revealed in Jesus Christ. This Christ child, who embodies God’s salvation, comes to you and declares, “this one is mine.” Now we wait for Christ to come again, for Christ’s realm to be fulfilled.
To STAY READY is to know that promise, to remember and claim it every day. This promise — not what you do, not what your grandfather didn’t do — determines who you are. You are Christ’s. And He is for you.
Christmas blessings to you, God’s beloved one!
The editor of “To Be a Fundraiser” is Kelly Wendell, Coordinator of Communication at South Dakota State University. Thanks, Kelly!