“The world of the generous gets larger and larger.”
—Proverbs 11:24, The Message, The Bible paraphrased by Eugene Peterson
—Proverbs 11:24, The Message, The Bible paraphrased by Eugene Peterson
We are living, as a gospel songwriter suggested, “in perilous times: each day brings new distress.” As I write this, I am mindful that the Congress of the United States has just passed legislation responding to the Treasury’s proposal of a massive “bailout” of the financial industry, claiming that, in a larger and very real sense, they are attempting to save the global economic system, as we know it. And now that we have commited $700 billion for this "quick fix" of "Wall Street," it doesn't seem to be restoring the confidence of jittery investors. At least not yet.
And what will happen to us back here on "Main Street"? In all likelihood, prices for goods and services, for gas and heating fuels and for other necessary services will continue to rise. And, quite possibly, our “buying power” may drop. It will require more, to buy still less.
But what of our “giving power?” In belt-tightening times like these, Christians roll up their sleeves, dig deeper into their pockets, and get busy! We find ways to do more. We find ways to give more. I met with the World Outreach Committee of the congregation I serve recently, and this group, composed of three returning members and three who are new to the committee, spoke energetically about doing more to help the hungry and the homeless in our community. Building upon our proven success of gathering donations each month for the local food pantry, they will propose creative and “fun” ways to encourage more varied and energetic participation in our donating food...and dollars to feed the hungry.
This fall, I proposed the stewardship theme, “Let Your Giving Live” to describe the response God wants from each of us. God wants our giving to live...and to thrive. Our giving needs to remain at the center of our lives. Our generosity, as the writer of Proverbs suggested, will cause our world to become “larger and larger.” The more we give, the more we will see opportunities to give. The more we are generous, the more God will reveal of God’s plan and purpose for our world. The more we respond to God’s generous heart with our hearts, the more our hearts will grow, and as our generous hearts become larger, so will our world.
These are perilous times, but for the Christian, these are also opportune times. Let us, like the Apostles of long ago, share the bounty of the Lord’s Table with “glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:46c) and let us free our giving with glad and generous hands!
Yours with a grateful heart,
"Pastor Paul"
