Loving God, you have provided enough for all and have called us to be good stewards of what you have given, providing for the needs of others.  Grant us such a sense of your grace and mercy that we might overflow with grace and mercy for others, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    It is fairly obvious that generosity is a theme in the portion of 2 Corinthians that we heard today.  However, it is probably not as obvious what is going on that prompts Paul to write these things.  In at least one sense, what we have heard is part of a fund-raising letter.  The church in Jerusalem was in need of assistance, and there were many poor Jewish Christians there.  And so Paul had initiated a collection from some of the other Christian communities in Gentile territory in order to be able to help the “saints” in Jerusalem.

    And so, Paul mentions Titus, who had previously visited Corinth and had talked to them about the needs of the church in Jerusalem, and Paul also mentions the churches of Macedonia, which includes places like Philippi and Thessalonica.  These churches, it seems, in spite of their own poverty, were eager to send whatever they could to help those Christians who were in Jerusalem.

    Now, it would be entirely possible to read 2 Corinthians 8-9 and think that Paul is really trying to lay on the guilt in order to get them to give.  However, that is not the only way to read it.  When Paul writes about the churches in Macedonia and how “their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part,” it is entirely likely that this is a simple statement of fact (2 Cor. 8:2).  I have heard too many stories about African Christians to think otherwise - where abundant joy and extreme poverty are an accurate description of them, and where joy in giving is practiced in spite of how little they have.  In fact, I have witnessed over and over again how it is often the people who have the least who are most ready to give and most ready to open their homes to anybody who needs a place to stay.

    There is also the part that Paul writes about “the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor” (2 Cor. 8:9).  In essence, Paul is saying, “Look at what Jesus has given for you.  Don’t you think you could give something for him?”  Once again, it would be easy to hear this as a guilt trip, and once again, that is not the only way to hear it.

    The truth is that anybody who has really grasped what Jesus has done for us wants to give back.  When our attitude is one of thankfulness for the grace of God at work in our lives, this attitude leads us into generosity.  When we are aware of what God has done for us through Jesus, we want to worship God.  When we are aware of the precious gift of forgiveness and salvation that is ours, we want to give back in thankfulness and praise.  This is responding with grace to God’s grace.

    Have you ever thought, though, about excelling in grace and generosity?  Paul writes,

Now as you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you - so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking (2 Cor. 8:7).

What do you do if you want to excel at something?... [practice, study, work at it] And so, in order to excel in grace and generosity, you would need to practice.

    It does seem as though there are some people who are more naturally generous than others.  My brother is one of those people.  When he was younger, money used to flow right through his fingers, at least in part because he was always ready to buy gifts for people or to give it away.  I, on the other hand, seemed to inherit more of the Scottish genes, and I always saved everything I got until I needed it for something.  However, God has taught me over the years to grow in generosity.

    This has happened in a number of different ways, all of which started by being taught and listening to the Scriptures.  Over time, I discovered that the more I gave away, the more I had.  I also discovered that I could give a substantial amount to somebody in need and still not be wanting for anything.  Even so, I am quite sure that there are people who excel in generosity far more than I ever will.

    At the same time, though, it is important to recognize that generosity can take many different forms.  You can be generous with your time, giving time to family or friends who need help, or simply taking the time to listen to somebody who is lonely and has nobody to talk to.  You can be generous with your time in the ways in which you volunteer or in the time you might take to make something for somebody else.

    Another way to be generous is in how we regard others.  Being generous means putting the best spin possible on what another person has done.  Being generous means cutting others some slack and recognizing that there might be reasons that they’re having a really bad day.  Being generous means trying to understand what makes other people tick and viewing their actions in the best light possible.

    In fact, how we see things makes a big difference.  Paul writes to the Corinthians about their abundance and others’ need (2 Cor. 8:14).  It makes a big difference whether we look at things through the lens of abundance or through the lens of scarcity.  It is possible to look at things and to say, “We barely have enough for ourselves.  How can we give to anybody else?”  This is the lens of scarcity.  It is also possible to look at things and say, “God has given us so much.  What can we do to help?”  This is the lens of abundance.

    In fact, today is a time to give thanks for the abundance we have experienced over the past year through having Intern Pastor Lisa with us.  Just as in the early church congregations gave to benefit others, so we have benefitted from others in the church who provided the funding for Lisa’s internship.  And I know that some of you, too, have given back so that there will be funding there for future internships.  This is simply one of the ways that we share in ministry with others - a ministry that goes far beyond this congregation.

    And so, we are invited to give thanks today for God’s grace and generosity towards us, even as we continue to study and practice generosity ourselves.  Love and generosity are very closely related, so may they know we are Christians by our love.  Amen.

Pentecost 6 (NL summer)                        2 Corinthians 8:1-15
June 26, 2016                            John 13:31-35
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2016 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved