GENEROSITY GIVES US JOY
They wanted more bread. The day before, they witnessed a miracle. Jesus blessed five loaves of bread and blessed two fish and 5,000 people were fed. They came back, hungry for more signs and wonders. They came back, wanting more bread.
Aren’t these people just like us? We want more. Our bellies are hungry every day too. So who could blame them? They are eager to see if Jesus is going to do it again, just like Moses in the wilderness.
But Jesus reminds them that Everything belongs to God. As we read in Psalm 24, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world and those who live in it.” Everything belongs to God.
OK, the people say, “Give us this bread ALWAYS.” And Jesus responds that he has come not to just fill their bellies with a bread that will satisfy for just a short time. Instead, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.” Jesus came - not to be a perpetual food service provider - but to give us everlasting life to us because of God’s great love for us.
You know this. Many of you have memorized John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have everlasting life.” Jesus came because God loves.
I have three things for you to remember today: 1st) Everything belongs to God. 2nd) Our Generous God gave us everything. You know this too: God gave us EVERYTHING - even those things we may claim as “ours” - all of our talents, our skills, our stuff and the world around us - all came from and belong to God.
And… 3rd ) We get to give generously too.
Conventional wisdom assumes that if you are successful, then you will have money and be happy and able to be generous. But… the truth is, money doesn’t make you happy…and it doesn’t make you generous.
It’s quite the opposite. As author Seth Godlin writes, “Generosity makes you happy. Happy people are more likely to be successful.”
Conventional wisdom also tells us that we live in a world of scarce resources - there is not enough time, money, love or security to go around. Conventional wisdom says we need to look out for ourselves and our family first, making sure we have “enough” before we share with others. God helps those who help themselves right?
No. NO. No No No. That’s not in the Bible. Instead, what the Bible teaches is that 1) Everything belongs to God. 2) God gave us everything. We don’t live in a world of scarce resources. We live in a world in which God calls us to manage, that is steward, the abundance of gifts that God has entrusted to us. And, like God gives to us, 3) We can give generously too.
Our stewardship theme this year is “Seeing 2020: Focusing on our Future.” We, as church, want to look ahead to the next year, to open our eyes, to see with 20/20 vision the gifts that God has entrusted to us.
But…you may argue, isn’t “Hindsight 20/20? ” It can be, so let’s start by looking back.
As a congregation, you are generous! We have reason to rejoice & be thankful for the gifts that you have given. Please open the colored insert titled “Seeing 2020: Focusing on our future” to the inside pictures.
See the picture of our Confirmation class this year with Vicar Becca and myself? Vicar Becca is the 11th Vicar we have had since 2008… You have generously and JOYFULLY supported these pastoral interns through prayers, encouragement and your offerings.
And those gifts that you have given have multiplied the ministry of God’s word out into the world, serving people in other congregations in Minnesota, Nebraska and Pennsylvania. And this has given us great joy!
But that’s not all. Look again at that picture. Future pastors are not the only ones that you have mentored and supported with your financial gifts, your prayers and your encouragement. This year we confirmed the faith of five young people. We invest in our youth - and that gives us great joy!
Looking across the page, as a church, and individually, we invest in local, regional and global ministries. We joyfully support NEAR foodshelf, Kidpack, Luther Seminary, Lutheran Social Services and Global Health Ministries as well as the ELCA ministries around the world. There wasn’t enough room for pictures of all of the ministries we support. With 20/20 hindsight, I am proud to be able to say that you are a generous people.
As a congregation, you know that 1) Everything belongs to God. 2) God gave us everything and that you and I 3) get to respond by giving generously too. And it brings us joy.
Looking forward… Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have a new opportunity to be generous, a new way in which to joyfully share what God has first given us. But before I tell you about that… with 20/20 hindsight, I want to point out another generous gift that is sitting right in front of you. Faith-First and their accompanist Judy Bakke and their director, Mariana Duffney have generously given of their time and their talents to sing Gospel music to the praise of God. They have also used these talents to raise money for NEAR food shelf. And in doing so…. they have spread joy! They give of themselves and their time freely… but I would dare to bet that if you ask any one of them, they would say that sharing this gift gives them joy. This is the truth of giving generously: It gives joy.
Today we give thanks for this ministry that has served us so well in the past. But we also look forward, seeking to look with God’s vision for us in 2020 and beyond. The Wildfire churches - including First and Faith-Lilac Way - are seeking to do something new together - investing in a faith based community organizer. I’ll be talking about this more after worship in the library so please join me.
We don’t know exactly what this new ministry will look like. But we are committed to getting out into the neighborhood and doing it together.
There was a story in CityPages just a couple of weeks ago about an ELCA church, Peace Lutheran in Lauderdale. By all accounts, they were dying. They were down to 20 members and 18 months of savings. But rather than just close their doors, they decided to see what would happen if they radically lived out Jesus’ call to love the neighbor. So… they made 700 flyers and leafletted the neighborhood, offering to roof houses, fix plumbing, repair anything in need, free of charge. There would be no litmus test, no income requirements, no concern if you were Lutheran or atheist and no expectation that you would join the church. The idea was to simply help the neighbor. As one person said, “Your quality of life can be improved if the toilet works.”
On their first try, only two women responded - one needed some painting and another needed her garage repaired. But the people of Peace kept at it - cleaning the house of an elderly widow, fixing a furnace, building a chair lift for the disabled. The word spread that Peace was the place to go for help.
The idea also attracted other people who wanted to help. Non-members joined the cause by the dozens. Grateful neighbors have kept Peace afloat. It’s still a little church but they are doing God’s work in the neighborhood, loving the neighbor in word and deed.
I don’t know what our WILDFIRE outreach into the neighborhood will look like but just think about the joy that is in store for us as God seeks to do a new thing, with us, in our community. This is why we are asking for your support.
Looking forward with 2020 vision, we remember: 1) Everything belongs to God. 2) Our Generous God gave us everything. and 3) We get to give generously too! It gives us JOY!
Thank YOU for your generosity and Thanks be to God for all of God’s gifts to us! Amen.