Generosity

We keep moving forward this week in our look at faith practices that can be used to grow our walk of discipleship. These are habits and routines which help to make us become better disciples. I want to keep that reminder in front of us all throughout this series of messages. Faith practices are habits that make us better at being followers of Jesus. So, even if you were to say “but I already am a Christian; I already have faith,” this is about becoming better in our walk of faith.

To recap so far, we have looked at the faith practice of sabbath rest, and last week we looked at the faith practice of gratitude. Today we move on from those to consider how the faith practice of generosity works as a habit that grows our faith to become better disciples of Jesus.

generosity begins in learning how to share

I suppose generosity began for me as a child in lessons of sharing. Back in the late 1970s there was just one television in my family’s house (and it only got four channels over an antennae). On Saturday mornings I had to take turns with my sisters choosing which cartoon shows would be on. So, as much as I maybe wanted to watch roadrunner and coyote every Saturday morning, I had to learn how to share and take turns with my sisters. Those of you who grew up having to share a bedroom with a sibling maybe also remember times when you had to learn the lesson of how to share and give for one another.

Generosity is about giving what we have for the benefit of another. I like the way the apostle Paul talks about the practice of generosity to the church in Corinth.

2 Corinthians 8:1–15 (NIV)

2 Corinthians 8:1–15 NIV

1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. 6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 10 And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. 13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, 15 as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”

Macedonian churches — Philippi and Thessalonica

As usual, let me start with some background to what these verses from the Bible are addressing. Paul begins with a reference to the Macedonian churches. For those who do not know your first century Mediterranean geography, this would include the cities of Philippi and Thessalonica, both of which have letters addressed to them elsewhere in the New Testament of the Bible. Here is what I want us to observe from this. Even though Paul writes letters in the Bible to different churches in various cities scattered around the Mediterranean, these churches also know about one another. And not only do they know about one another, they are also helping to support one another.

Paul is writing this second letter to the church in Corinth urging them to follow through on a pledge to give a generous gift for the other churches in need. Very briefly track with me through the way Paul does this. His opening statement to the Corinthians is summed up in verse 7.

2 Corinthians 8:7 (NIV)

2 Corinthians 8:7 NIV

7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

The excellence of the church is displayed by an interconnectedness of virtues and behaviors. Their faith, speech, knowledge, and love are bound up together with their generosity. Excellence in generosity increases excellence in faith. Excellence in generosity increases excellence in speech. Excellence in generosity increases excellence in knowledge. And excellence in generosity increases excellence in love.

Paul goes on to add an important observation. Look at verse 11.

2 Corinthians 8:11 (NIV)

2 Corinthians 8:11 NIV

11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.

is my eager willingness matched by the completion of the act of generosity?

There is a difference between my desire to be generous and my action of generosity. Can I be honest and admit that in my own study of this passage over the past week and in my own contemplation of how generosity works in my life, this verse hit home for me in my own faith practice of generosity. Yes, I may have all the desire in the world to be a generous person. Yes, I want to be able to give from what I have so that others can benefit. Yes, I have every intention in the world of being that kind of person and embracing those kinds of opportunities to practice generosity. I have the eager willingness. But I must confess there are instances when I struggle for my willing eagerness to be matched by the completion of the act of generosity itself. I have great intentions, but not always great achievement of those intentions.

I must admit there are times when I find myself faced with opportunities to be generous, but the completion of an act of generosity falls short. I don’t think I’m alone here. I imagine most of us have experienced this as well. All of us have faced moments when a need is presented before us, and as much as I want to help and have every intention of helping, I just cannot, or I just don’t. Maybe it is because I have scheduled my day so full of my own activities that there is no margin of time for me to give for others. Maybe it is because I have used up all my resources on myself and there is nothing left for me to set aside for others. Maybe it is because my generosity is often relegated to the leftovers, and there are times when I have nothing left over.

our struggle is getting the desire for generosity to be matched by the completion of generosity

Yep, my struggle with generosity is not a lack of eager willingness or desire. My struggle is getting the desire for generosity to be matched by the completion of generosity. I don’t think I’m alone in that. I imagine we all face the same struggle. So, let’s talk first about the way that generosity as a faith practice closes that gap between eager willingness for generosity and actual completion of generosity. And secondly, let’s consider how generosity is a faith practice that helps us to become better disciples of Jesus who are growing in our own faith.

faith practice closes that gap between eager willingness for generosity and actual completion of generosity

We have noted more than once in this series the way in which faith practices serve as a sort of training ground. I have compared faith practices in past weeks to such things as the batting cage or the driving range or the weight room. Faith practices are the things that places that train and equip us with needed skills. A driving range equips a golfer with needed skills to be better at playing golf. A batting cage equips a baseball/softball player with needed skills to be better at playing baseball/softball. Faith practices equip a follower of Jesus to be a better disciple.

faith practice of generosity makes me better at being generous

regular habit of setting aside an offering

This is where a practice of generosity helps make us better at being generous. What do we mean by a practice of generosity? It means we develop a regular habit or routine that helps equip our ability to give and share. Let me give an example. Every Sunday when this church gathers for worship, there is an opportunity to give an offering as part of our worship. It is a regular habit and routine of generosity. It is an opportunity to put into practice on a regular basis the action of giving. Because we treat it as a regular habit of our gathering, it does not come as an unexpected surprise. Rather, it is part of the worship routine you can regularly plan on. If you are with us regularly, it is not as though when we get to the end of the service where I announce the offering and suddenly you have to scramble to open a wallet or purse and see if you happen to have a little extra cash left over. No, it is a pattern and habit we do every week so that the act of being generous can be built into your routine of worship. We plan for it; we prepare for it ahead of time; we set aside money in our personal and family budgets specifically for giving away.

intentionally act ahead in both setting aside resources and setting aside time

That’s the key difference of what a regular practice of generosity does for us which helps equip us to actually be better at generosity. It helps us to intentionally act ahead in both setting aside resources and setting aside time for one thing only: to be given away as an act of generosity. And now when the earnest willingness is there, the resources are also there to act upon it. Since I intentionally set aside a portion of my income for generosity, I should always find ways to be equipped to give it when needs arise around me. That means, if you are the kind of person who carries cash around in your wallet, a certain portion of that cash should be set aside not to spend on yourself, but to be given for others. Then when the request for help comes along, the answer is not, “I would love to help, but I don’t have anything.” Instead, the answer is, “I would love to help and I have right here what is needed.”

example: church food pantry

Let me give another example. This church has a food pantry that is open for helping hungry families in our community. This church intentionally stocks up that pantry ahead of time with a variety of different groceries and hygiene products. We do not wait with an empty room for a hungry family from our community to knock on the door and then go about scrambling for what it is we might be able to find in order to help them. No, we have already gathered up and set aside ahead of time what is needed in order to help. That way, when the request of a hungry family comes in, we are already prepared to respond with generosity.

the goal of generosity is equality (verses 13-14)

That is what a faith practice of generosity does. It closes the gap between the earnest desire to give and the actual completion of that act of giving. A faith practice of generosity looks to set aside a portion of what I own to be given away for the benefit of someone else. Paul is not asking the Corinthian church to subject themselves to irresponsible poverty so that the other churches may receive excessive abundance. He wants the Corinthian church to recognize their position of blessing, that they were currently at that time in a position of abundance from which to share. And Paul acknowledges that there may be times when the situation is reversed; in which it is the Corinthians who will be in need, and it will be other church communities who will give of their abundance to be shared.

Now then, how is it that this practice of generosity helps you grow to become a better disciple of Jesus? Consider again verse 9.

2 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV)

2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

practice of generosity conforms us into the image of Christ

when we learn how to be people who can more freely give, we echo the heart of God who freely gives his love and grace to this world

We are generous because God is generous. We give of what we have for the benefit of others because Jesus gave what he had for the benefit of others. We strive to give towards the goal of equality because Jesus gave himself to come into this world as one of our equals. Do you see? The practice of generosity conforms us into the image of Christ. When we learn how to be people who can more freely give, we echo the heart of God who freely gives his love and grace to this world.

Here, then, are a few tips towards application of this faith practice for you in the coming week. Once again, use the suggestions that come from the booklet that many of you have. There is also a website link at the bottom of the sermon notes in the bulletin which will get you to many of those same resources. Look over those resources and try a new way to be generous in the coming week.

urge for the Corinthian church to be generous is not a command — rather, give freely and joyfully

Take note that in today’s passage the apostle Paul is intentional to state that his urge for the Corinthian church to be generous is not a command. If you keep reading into 2 Corinthians 9 Paul says that the Lord loves a cheerful giver. In this week, don’t look for ways to be generous because you have to, look for ways to be generous because you want to.

generosity is not transactional | no requirement for repayment

And then finally remember that generosity is not transactional, meaning there is no expectation of something in return. It is not a favor provided for someone who now becomes indebted to you and must somehow return the favor. Generosity is a freely given gift in which nothing is required in return. It means my acts of generosity are accompanied by the thought that I freely give this with no requirement for repayment because Jesus freely gave himself for me with no requirement for repayment.

In this week ahead, may you experience the practice of generosity not only as a way of sharing the love and blessing of God with those around you, but may you also experience the grace and blessing of God himself in your own journey of discipleship as Christ draws you closer to himself.