“Astonishing
Generosity Transforms Lives”
November 13, 2011
RUMC
Do you remember the the Maz-a-tec Indians of
southern Mexico I talked about last week?
They believe in a world of limited good. If they teach someone how to do something they
are giving away something, which they might need later. If they were to wish someone a good day, they
would be giving away their own good fortune and may never get it back. If they have a second child, they have to
love the first child less in order to have any love for the second.
As strange as it may sound to our ears, we are
surrounded by the philosophy of the limited good every day of our lives.
1.
What is one of the big gripes of
the occupy Wallstreet and occupy Waterloo and all the other “occupy” groups? Whatever you may think of their methods and
motives, their message is that the mere existence of that wealthy one percent
is a social problem. They believe the
only way to correct that is for the government to take away from the rich and
give it to the poor. Limited money-
limited good.
2.
There has always been an
undercurrent of distrust of companies as big and successful as Wal-Mart and
McDonalds. Again, whatever you may think
of the way they do business, there is always a nagging feeling that they must
be guilty of something or they would not be so rich and successful. Limited success- limited good.
3.
Think about the way the markets
work. When production goes down, what
happens? Price goes up. And visa versa. Is there any reason that an oil tanker
sinking off the cape of Africa automatically makes the gas at Casey’s any more valuable? Is your grain really any more valuable
because of a drought in Venezuela? No except that, we have been sold the idea
that there is only so much of anything to go around. Limited value, limited good.
4.
Finally, have you noticed that
recently to show respect for one group is automatically to show disrespect for
another. To respect a Christian holiday, must automatically mean that we
disrespect a the Muslim people?. Limited
respect, limited good.
Do you see how this limited good, all or
nothing, black and white primitive
thinking has invaded our culture and economy?
When Jesus was confronted with this thinking he
had 5000 people in front of him. The
disciples said we don’t have enough to feed them. Jesus said, “You guys and your theory of the
limited good” watch this and he began to pass the bread and the fish and all
5000 people were fed. In addition, how
many baskets were picked up? 12 baskets of
leftovers!! Limited good my foot!
When Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman, he confronted
the idea that either God wanted to be worshipped in Jerusalem or God wanted to
be worshipped in Samaria. There was not
enough of God to go around for both groups.
Jesus said, watch this. “I will
give you living water, topped off and overflowing. There is plenty of God to go around.”
When Jesus told the story of the good Samaritan,
the priest and Levite passed by the other side.
There wasn’t enough time to look after the beaten man, there wasn’t
enough money to help the robbery victim, and there wasn’t enough holy water in
the world to make it OK for the priest
to touch that guy. But Jesus says, “Ha!
Watch this. And then the Samaritan came
up and there was abundant time, ample of money and plenty of love to go
around!”
Biblical scholar NT Wright coined the phrase “Astonishing
generosity” when he was writing about Jesus and his teachings. Specifically he used it when writing about
Jesus saying “turn the other cheek” and “give him your cloak too.”
Astonishing generosity means it is not enough to
be generous disciples. But our generosity must astonish the people around
us, leaving them dumbfounded for an explanation, flabbergasted for a
rationale. It is not enough to be good to the people who are good to us. It is not good enough to love those who love
us. It is not good enough to give God
our leftover time. It is not good enough
to give God the blemished lamb or the $5 bill we had left over this week.
We are called to a revolution. Not a political or military revolution. Jesus calls his followers to a generosity revolution,
a revolution in the way we think and act. That revolution comes about when people like you and I reflect
the astonishing generosity of God into a dark and disbelieving world.
·
This is not just a strategy for adding
some kindness to the world. It’s a strategy for changing the
world.
·
It’s not just about making the
world better, it’s about making the world new.
·
Generosity is not just about
making people think we are good nice and kind, it is about helping people see
that God is good, compassionate and responsive to their cries.
·
Generosity is a central activity
of the followers of Christ to reveal God to the world.
Most of us have grown up with the idea that generosity
is to give until it hurts. Well, it only hurts in world of limited good. Others say
generosity is to give until we
feel good. Well, that is just a little
self serving. Today, I call upon you to
give until something changes. Give until something changes. Give until a life is transformed. Give so that lives will be transformed.
The question for each of our hearts today, then, is how
much? My prayer is that we would each
give until something changes. . . in our hearts. In the lives of the people around us. In the world.
When we moved
here we started tithing for the first time in our lives, and I made it
an automatic payment. Talk about giving
until something changes—the something that changed was me. No longer am I imprisoned by the idea of the
limited good. God provides for us every
month, and every month God provides with astonishing generosity.
I know that 10 % of you net income sounds impossible to
many, and for some it is. For many, however it is achievable. If you are not tithing yet, I want you to
consider – not jumping up to 10 % today.
But to consider increasing your giving by 10%. If you give a dollar now, put $1.10 on your
estimate. If you give a hundred dollars
now, try $110. If out of habit you have written the same estimate as last year
on your card, could you change that today to be 10 % more, just a little closer
to the tithe. If you have not been
pledging at all , set some kind of goal
by putting something on your card.
Whatever you decide to give this year, look out. Because when you give until something changes
… that something just might be you. Or
it might be someone else. Either way it is OK because as it says on your
bulletin every week, the is a place where “Where the power of Christ love is
changing lives”
You each have your own stories.
·
Some of you have your own stories of how your
life is changed by the generous love of God reflected through the people of
this church.
·
Others have seen spouses transformed, neighbors
brought home, guilty hearts soothed, broken lives healed, and despairing lives
made new; all because of the astonishing generosity of the people here at the
Reinbeck UMC. People who gave and gave
and gave; past where it hurts, past where it feels good, all the way to the
point where something changed. Someone’s
life, someone’s heart, someone‘s spirit, someone’s relationship with God.
We have also seen changed lives as we have watched the
Faces of Faith videos.
1.
Today we heard about how you generously loved
and accepted Niki until something changed in her. “Through your ministry , The power of Christ
love is changing lives” Give God a hand
praise for that! (applause)
2.
Earlier we heard about how you generously welcomed
people who were wounded by experiences until those wounds were healed and their
lives were changed. “Through your
ministry , The power of Christ love is changing lives” (applause)
3.
We heard about Haley’s life being changed
because Shelby generously invited her. “Through
your ministry , The power of Christ love is changing lives” (applause)
4.
We heard about the Anderson children’s lives
changed because LIGHT is a generous ministry of this church. “Through your ministry , The power of Christ
love is changing lives” (applause)
5.
Friends, the astonishing generosity of this
congregation through the years have changed the world for people from Alabama
to Ziare. “Through their ministry , The power of Christ love is changing lives”
We should thank them. (applause)
6.
This church’s history could have ended in 1956.
The astonishing generosity of the last generation, however, brought them through the fire and blessed us
with a beautiful ministry center, thereby changing the course of history in
Reinbeck. “because of their ministry , The power of Christ love is changing
lives” We should thank them (applause)
7.
Your astonishing generosity in the last 4 ½ years has brought this church from the edge of
financial scarcity, to this year being the first year that we have paid our
apportionments through the year as we Go rather than begging for someone to
bail us out in December. “Through your ministry , The power of Christ love is
changing lives” You should thank each
other (applause.)
8.
Your astonishing generosity has seen that families
on the brink of losing everything get a little boost by paying an electric bill
or buying a tank of gas, and that has changes despair to hope. “Through your
ministry , The power of Christ love is changing lives” (applause)
9.
Your astonishing generosity has made sure that people
across Eastern Iowa do not fall through the cracks of hunger and mal nutrition.
“Through your ministry , The power of Christ love is changing lives” (applause)
10.
Your astonishing generosity has seen our quickly
dying Sunday School transformed into a living, vibrant Wednesday night LIGHT
ministry where new people come almost every week, and the Gospel of Christ is at work changing
families and changing this next generation. “Through your ministry , The power
of Christ love is changing lives” (applause)
You can be proud of that--- but not too proud. Because God says “I am not done with you yet”. I AM NOT DONE CHANGING LIVES HERE YET.
What will God do next year? I don’t know. I do know that whatever it is, I want to be part
of it. I want to share that journey of
changing lives with you.
So let’s “Give
until something changes”
