Abundance in Generosity

ABC News shared this week the story of a 96 year old man in Mesa, Arizona who passes out treats to the pets in his neighborhood. I saw the story link in my 1440 Daily Digest email and pictured him sitting in front of his house all day long, waving to neighbors and offering MilkBone treats to dogs passing on their walks. That’s nice, I thought, remembering the man who used to wave at Holmes and Walnut Grove. Then I clicked on the story and learned that he rides his bike to their homes – every day, rain or shine – he brings pretty fancy-looking treats to the dogs and cats of his community. He’s been doing it for 23 years. This story is a goldmine of lessons for churches. He didn’t start out hoping to be on the news because he passed out treats. He didn’t have a goal in mind to gain the trust of the pets and their owners and then recruit them to join a club. He didn’t do it the easiest way – he bought fancy treats and got on his bike to go where the pets were instead of waiting for them to come to him. He didn’t say at 73 that he was too old to start something new. But perhaps the most important lesson we can learn from this 96 year old man named Bill is that his daily treat deliveries bring him deep joy. He experiences the paradox of abundance in generosity every day as he rides his bike around his community, visits with his neighbors, and delivers his treats.

Paul wanted the church at Corinth to experience this paradox too. He was in Macedonia – collecting an offering for the Jerusalem church from the churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea – and he was sending Titus to collect the offering from Corinth. And Paul knows human nature, so he sets up a comparison…a challenge. The churches in Macedonia were not as well-off as the church in Corinth. So, by nature, they are more generous. What happens is that deep down, we all know that life is insecure. So, we try to create a nest-egg for insulation and security, a little savings. But that “little savings” is never enough to give us security. Those who don’t have enough to ever build the nest look elsewhere for their security, and are much more generous. We see it in the statistics today: the wealthiest 5 percent of Americans give the lowest percent of their income to charity, while those who make $20,000 a year or less give the highest percent of their income to charity. What happens is that when we get that “little savings,” and we still don’t feel secure, we keep accumulating. And over time, we become proud of our accomplishments. We see all that we have earned and reflect on how deserving we are of all that we have accomplished. And our attitude about our resources shifts – and it’s a spiritual shift – instead of realizing that everything we have is God’s, we believe it is ours. Richard Foster, known for his theological work around spiritual disciplines, says that when we are thinking about our giving, there are two ways to ask the question. “How much of my money should I give to God?” or “How much of God’s money should I keep for myself?”

Money is really just a way for us to trade our time and abilities with someone else. Our time and abilities are not of our own making. They are gifts from God for us to steward. We are caretakers of our time and our abilities…and the money we translate them to in order to trade them. What we do with our money is an expression of our faith and trust in God and a recognition that our security lies in God, not in the stock market.

Now, I have known people who have thought that God’s security was up for sale. I had a parishioner once who told me that their family had made the commitment to tithe, to give 10% of their earnings, and they were just going to see if God responded. Nowhere in Scripture does God promise financial rewards for our giving. But throughout Scripture, God teaches us that abundance lies in generosity.

Do any of you remember the year that Tickle Me Elmo was “the” Christmas must-have? A man nearly died in the frantic need for this red, shaking doll. A store outside Philadelphia announced that they had managed to get 48 of them, and when the assistant manager went to unlock the doors, a stampede of 300 people trampled him. That same year, before Tickle Me Elmo had become a scarcity, a young mother on disability was able to save and bought one for her son. Unfortunately, her ex-husband managed to steal her $600 disability check for December, and her rent was $400, and as much as she wanted to give that doll to her son for Christmas, she knew she could sell it and pay the rent. So, she put an ad in the paper, “Tickle Me Elmo doll for sale. $400. Need money to pay rent.” It broke her heart. She had so looked forward to his surprise and joy on Christmas morning. But, a few days later, a man knocked on her door, there to buy the Elmo doll. The mom answered, “Just wait here and I’ll go get it.” The man responded, “Perhaps I should just give you the money. Merry Christmas.” He handed her $400 in cash and walked away.

Do you see the difference in the two stories? In the hearts of the people? Can you feel the abundance of that man’s generosity? One night after the annual spaghetti dinner we have every June to raise money for the costs of the team while we are in Mexico building cisterns, I thanked a member who was washing dishes. She said, “I will never be able to go on the trip, but I can do this. This is my way of helping children have clean drinking water.”

Jesus said that there will be a time of accounting for how we have used the resources God has entrusted to us – our time and our abilities, and the money that we have traded for them – and that the judgement will be based on our answer when Jesus needed food or water or asylum or clothes or healthcare or charity in prison. And Jesus says that we will ask, “When did I do that?” And he will answer that it was as we did or did not do it to the weakest, neediest, most vulnerable, that we did or did not do it to him. Here’s how the paradox of abundance in generosity works; this is why when we sow richly, we harvest richly; this is what Jesus means when he says, “Give, and it will be given to you.” When we give generously, not out of compulsion or guilt or to look good or a sense of obligation, but because we have asked ourselves “How much of God’s money should I keep for myself?” What happens is that we give and make a difference in someone else’s life, and that person has the image of God in them. It is as though we are doing it to Jesus. When we give to others, we are giving to God, so we come closer to God…there’s the abundance! Our relationship with God grows as we open to God’s grace flowing through us. What a joy!

Try it. Maybe you aren’t motivated to go buy fancy dog treats and hop on your bike…that’s ok. Go make someone’s day – and I’m not talking about paying for the next person in line at Starbucks. That next person in line has the money to get Starbucks or they wouldn’t be in line. When you go out, over tip, by a lot; your server is most likely not there because they love waiting tables. Or fund a ministry, just find out how much something costs and pay for it. It’s a real jolt – euphoric. New Testament scholar, NT Wright writes about this passage, “In the normal and healthy Christian life, everything proceeds from God’s generosity, and everything returns to God in thanksgiving. Grace, generosity, and gratitude: these are not optional extras of Christian living, but the very heart of it all.” Did you know that our first Rise Against Hunger packaging was just for 10,000 meals. It cost $3000, and it wasn’t in the church budget. A member heard about the ministry and wrote a check for $3,000. Because that first packaging happened, we’ve now packed over 100,000 meals. Pray about it, and ask God to guide you. Notice the needs you see. What pricks your heart? God loves a cheerful giver, and you’ll find it’s all joy. Amen.