Preached at St Stephen’s Church Burnley
When I worked for a living, occasionally I went on jobs where we were away for a few days. And there was one guy that I often worked alongside, who was, shall we say, a big lad. Stops we made en route seemed to involve him sampling burgers and fries, accompanied by plenty of sweet treats.
And then came a time we were due to go away, and I’d lined up all the cheap jokes about warning the donut stores to stock up and such like; but no! He was now a changed man. He’d – “Seen the light”.
Oh yes, he could tell me all about protein and carbs, calorific intake, exercise regimes, balanced diets, replacing fat with muscle mass. An impressive armoury of facts on how to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Well I thought, this is a turn up.
But here’s a funny thing. Despite this conversion to healthy living, despite adopting a new way of life, and even though he’d clearly read and studied extensively….. Quite honestly, barring the odd insignificant change, his diet looked absolutely no different to me!
Now that’s a weird thing isn’t it? No doubt psychologists have a word for it. Because he firmly believed that as a result of all he’d learned, that he’d changed his lifestyle, when the reality is, he hadn’t.
Now I’ve encountered Christians who’ve undergone a very similar transition to my colleague. They’ve studied the scriptures, mastered the theology, understood what the cost of following Jesus is, and the sacrifices required. They’d consider themselves committed followers of Christ. But one thing’s missing. They haven’t actually changed their lifestyle.
It’s like “What, I’ve learned all the stuff, read all the gospels, come to Church every Sunday. You mean I’ve actually got to change the way I live my life?” Well yes, you probably have.
As you may know, in this pre-Passiontide three week period of Lent, we’re focussing on Generosity. Reminding ourselves that we have a very generous God indeed. A God who sent his son: To die for us. To forgive us our sins. To give us his Holy Spirit. And to give us eternal life. That’s Generous!
If we know that, and if we truly believe that, then we must be inspired to give back to him, to be overflowing with grateful generosity. We surely can’t treat maturing in faith as knowing all the theory and all the right things to say, but, like my workmate, going no further. We have to jump in and live those words. Walk the Walk aswell as Talk the Talk. And part of that – is being generous.
Generosity is, I’d venture to suggest, a fairly easy to understand concept. Where things become more complicated is in the Application of it. Just what’s expected of us?
You might well know the story in Mark and Luke’s gospels, telling how the impoverished widow, giving two coins in the temple, which is all the money she has, illustrates what sacrificial giving really is. But whilst it’s a good teaching, going quite that far is not required or maybe even recommended.
We also hear in the gospels about the rich man who comes and asks Jesus what he must do to gain eternal life; and is eventually told to sell all his possessions, as it’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
But read properly and in full, and alongside all of Jesus’ teachings, you’ll soon see that Jesus isn’t anti wealth as such. But he does have an issue with greed, selfishness, dishonesty, sharp practice and a lack of generosity.
Within my memory there used to be Christians, Clergy and Laity, who advocated “Giving till it Hurts”. We don’t say that now, and I’m glad about that. Because it sends out the wrong signals. It’s the complete opposite of the joyful, generous attitude we should be adopting, as we give because we love our God.
And there are so many ways we can do that. Give money. Give time. Give Service. Can you cook? Clean? Mend things? Can you talk to the elderly or lonely? Can you pass on some of the teaching about Christ that you were given?
And yes of course, we certainly do need money. Everything you see here, including the Rector, has to be paid for. Church only works because people of God, united as a team, inspired by his love, give of time, talents and money.
Think about the fig tree mentioned in the Gospel. Who’s fault is it that it bore no fruit? The person who chose the plant? The person who cares for the soil? Or the person who tends to the tree? Fruit only grows when everyone pulls together as part of a team. Churches only grow when everyone comes together in a spirit of generosity and giving.
But what and how much should each of us give? Well unlike the Old Testament Law, or even some of the fringe denominations here and overseas; where a certain percentage of income is demanded as an offering, that’s a matter between you and God.
Nobody should be telling you must do so many hours or give so many pounds. That’s not how it works. It’s between you and God. But if you truly love God and are grateful for his gifts to the world and to you personally, then you may well find that you’re compelled to be generous, that you can’t resist it, so wonderful are his works.
Remember at the start of this sermon, we heard of someone who Talked the Talk but didn’t Walk the Walk. Don’t be like that. To be fully Christian is to be fully generous. You can’t claim to be a mature Christian just by knowing all the facts. Actions speak louder than words. And one of those actions is to regularly, faithfully and joyfully practice Generosity.
St Peter's Church 