Reno UMC Sermon: 11-15-09

November 15, 2009
Rev. Judith Bither

Extravagant Generosity

Today we conclude our series of The Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations with the fifth practice: Extravagant Generosity. The first four were:

The practice of Radical Hospitality where we asked the questions “How are we doing at inviting others and supporting newcomers into classes, groups and leadership in your part of the church family?” And “How can we improve?”
The practice of Passionate Worship where we asked “Am I allowing God’s Spirit to form me, change me, transform me through (worship), or am I evaluating the quality of the performance?
The practice of Intentional Faith Development where we were challenged not to be afraid of failure and to willingly initiate new ministries of learning in community, knowing that some programs take root and last for generations and others will continue only a few months and then fade away.
The practice of Risk-taking Mission and Service where we were reminded that the deliberate effort to improve the condition of others…is central to our faith identity.

During these weeks we have been reading the book and reflecting on the wisdom of United Methodist Bishop Robert Schnase I have heard one person after another remark: Now that was a good chapter! Some people within the church will be more drawn to hospitality, other to worship, some to education or service. Although each one may rate their importance in a little different order, we can all agree that each one is needed if we are to be the Body of Christ in the world. That is, the church is not just another service organization or social club. Our purpose is the making of disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

All four of the first practices could happen without the fifth one, but probably not over the long term. That is, Extravagant Generosity is the puzzle piece that holds the others together. But even more than that, practicing Extravagant Generosity shows a spiritual maturity in how we spend, save and give our money. In 1744 John Wesley urged the early Methodists to “gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” He believed that generosity is a necessary and indispensable aspect of discipleship, essential to the maturing of the soul and for the work of the church. He worried that Methodists put too much emphasis on accumulating wealth and the pride that came with it.

These were not new ideas; they come directly from our scriptures in both the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Schnase writes, scripture is replete with examples and teachings that focus on possessions, wealth, giving, gifts, generosity, offerings, charity, sacrifice and sharing with those in need. Giving is central to Jewish and Christian practice because people perceive God as extravagantly generous, the giver of every good gift, the source of life and love. People give because they serve a giving God.

Schnase then includes several pages of highlighting some of the scriptures and the conclusions they make. For example, in the Old Testament numerous passages underscore the significance of tithing (giving 10%) of the first fruits and the best of the harvest, livestock and income for the purposes of God. Right from the first book of the Bible, Genesis, Abram gave a tenth of everything to God. This continues throughout the rest of the Old Testament.

Jesus’ teachings abound with tales of rich and poor, generous and shrewd, givers and takers, charitable and selfish, faithful and fearful. He commends the poor widow putting her two coins in the treasury, giving out of her poverty, she “put in all she had to live on.” The story upsets expectations because it focuses on proportional giving rather than on the amount given as the measure of extravagance. Now that sounds like our stewardship program: Cycles of Discipleship with the emphasis on proportional giving rather than the dollar amount!

Jesus’ unexpected love for Zacchaeus radically changed the tax-collector so that he gave his wealth to the poor and to those whom he had wronged. Even the story of the Good Samaritan highlights extraordinary generosity. The Samaritan not only binds up the wounds of the stranger left to die on the road, but he takes the stranger to the inn, pays for the stranger’s care with his own money and commits himself to provide for his long term well-being by telling the innkeeper, “When I come back, I will repay whatever more you spend.” The Samaritans generosity, like Christ’s compassion, knows no bounds.

In the early church, the followers of Jesus “would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.” Generosity was a mark of the Spirit’s power to change lives and practices. Paul describes generosity as one of the fruits of the Spirit. He also describes how “we have gifts that differ according to the grace given us, including “to give, in generosity.” All Christians practice generosity while some are particularly gifted by the Spirit to give in extraordinary measures.

In every Scripture—Abram with his tithe, the widow giving all she had, Zacchaeus in his transformation, the Samaritan with his compassion, the early church in their sharing—giving is always extravagant, life-changing and joyous.

Contrast this, if you will, with our current American society. We live in an extraordinarily materialistic and consumerist society. We are immersed in a culture that feeds the appetite for more and bigger, and that fosters the myth that self-worth is found in material wealth and that happiness is found in possessing. It seems obvious to me that this is the real reason behind this latest recession, at least at the core.

Bishop Schnase claims that 30 year olds feel like failures because they don’t already have the kind of house and car that their parents own, and 40 year olds feel unsuccessful because they’re not millionaires. Millions of couples struggle under oppressive levels of debt that strain marriages, destroy happiness, and intensify conflict and anxiety. As one radio talk show host said, “We buy things we don’t even need with money we don’t even have to impress people we don’t even know.” 40% of the American people spend 110% of their annual income each year. People sustained their lifestyles through ever-increasing auto loans, credit card debt and mortgages. When various people are asked “How much more income would it take for you to be happy?” they answer in surprising-ly consistent ways, saying 20% more would ease burdens, help them buy what was needed and bring security. People with $10,000 think an income of $12,000 will bring happiness, and those earning $50,000 think that with $60,000 they can finally get on top of things, and those earning $500,000 feel that with only $100,000 more income, they will finally have it made!

In other words, people who earn 20% less than I do think they will be happy if they earn what I do! Bishop Schnase insists that these are spiritual problems, not merely financial planning issues. They reveal value systems that are spiritually corrosive and that lead to continuing discontent, discouragement and unhappiness. We can never earn enough to be happy when we believe that satisfaction, self-definition, and meaning derive principally from possessions; we can never trust our sense of self-worth when it rests on treasures that are material and temporal. A philosophy based principally upon materialism and possessions is not sufficient to live by or to die by. At some point, followers of Jesus must decide whether they will listen to the wisdom of the world or to the wisdom of God.

Schnase points out: 150 years ago, if your great-grand parents were active in the faith, they tithed. Why were they able to tithe 150 years ago but we have trouble doing it? Because they were so much wealthier than we are? The truth is just the opposite! We struggle with tithing because our hearts and minds are more powerfully shaped by our affluence.

We find it harder to give extravagantly because our society’s values shape our perceptions more than our faith’s values.

Schnase insists: “Generosity is a fruit of the Spirit, a worthy spiritual aspiration. Generosity is the opposite of selfishness and self-absorption. To practice Extravagant Generosity requires self-control, patience, kindness, faith and love of God and neighbor.”

Let me end with a story from the book that reminds me of the importance of baptism in every congregation and really puts the whole point of giving to the church into perspective: (page 107-108 in Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations)

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