union avenue christian church |
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The Root of Generosity Acts 2:42 – 47; Psalm 23 After the Tsunami of December 26 people from around the world joined together in support of those affected by that immense disaster. Story after story of how folks reached out to those in need have been communicated through the media. The world gave – financially – in record-breaking levels. A disaster and an incredible response… Sometime in the early 90s we had the warning of a major earthquake that would come along the New Madrid fault-line. That prediction, as I recall, even had a specific date. I remember that schools – in southern Illinois – considered closing for several days. Throughout the community there was a galvanized effort to educate people about disasters, in general, and prepare them for that impending earthquake. A unity of spirit, a determined educational effort, and deep care for each other engulfed the community. A predicted disaster and a united response… My first parishioner to show up at church on September 11 after the Twin Towers had collapsed said that as soon as he watched the news, he:
He was the one who became our first host to all the others who needed to be in a sanctuary that day and the days following…for their own peace AND to find out what they could be doing for everyone else in the city. New York was the most united city in the world that day — filled with a generous spirit. Disasters and crises are unifying events. They solidify a community. They energize a people to care for each other, and inspire folks to consider what are the essentials of life. Although we don’t want to replicate disasters, it would be wondrous if we could get to the by-product of them without the painful beginning. The Acts of the Apostles records the most exciting days of the early church. There is a charged atmosphere…golden era…idealized moments when everything was going well. These new Christians would not be stopped. They were growing and flourishing in absolutely amazing ways. They cared for each other, and were devoted to each other. They were following the instructions of their Lord Jesus; awe came upon them because of many signs and wonders, and then the cycle would repeat itself…they would care for each other and were devoted to each other…and followed the instructions of their Lord…and on and on. What we often forget — as we long for such a time as that — is their clear understanding that those were the last days in which they were living. They had assurances that the end of time was imminent. There would be no future generations. This was it. They were merely reveling in the days before Jesus would come back again and time would end. Do we have a theme going here? Is THIS the reason they were all together — that they held all things in common…that they were generous to any in need…that they would spend their days in the temple and had glad and generous hearts? In these five short verses the word ‘all’ is mentioned 4 times. There was a unity of spirit that would be hard to replicate. In the case of the early church — the ‘all is well’ time — would be all too brief. The apostles would soon be jailed; a prominent couple would seek their own glory rather than the community’s; more and more conflict would invade the group; and one of their leaders would be murdered. The more time went on the less the Christians could believe in the end time approaching. The question for us: Can generosity…unity in spirit…common witness within a community be solely attributed to the impending cessation of life that confronted them? Must we have a disaster — or a prophecy of one — in order for us to get ‘high’ on each other’s company and be considerate of each other’s needs? Must we have a disaster for us to do what God requires of us as a people, a nation, or even a congregation? First of all, just longing for the ‘glory days’ — the days we remember when… — or even trying to replicate whatever this very earliest of church experiences might have been is not worthy of our time. Memory is always so much better, glossier, and rosier than the reality of any time. Our memories usually only hold the peak times for us, and thankfully erases the dull or ordinary ones. Secondly, and more importantly, discovering the root of generosity is critical to our faith development. The generosity of people to those whose lives are shattered because of natural or human-made disasters undoubtedly comes from a variety of reasons. The most fundamental one, however, is that a crisis calls us to remember our own vulnerability…and also unites us as one people…living from the one earth…created by the one God (no matter how we name that God). A disaster reminds us of our humanity and links us to all those who share that reality. Remembering our human-ness allows us to remember the dependence we have on God… knowing who we are – and to whom we belong. But how quickly we forget. How quickly we forget that vulnerability. How quickly we forget the unity that fosters care and generosity and the sharing of all things in common. Because how quickly we begin to “need” larger portions of what is ours…greater demands of ownership and entitlement. Our own hubris grows as we consider ourselves independent and autonomous creatures — individuals with rights that supercede the needs of any community. And we quickly forget that this is a faith issue! As with most dilemmas there is a fine line of balance. God assures every one of us that we are a beloved child. We are created with certain purposes and individual potentials. God also assures us that not one of us (no matter our family of origin) was created an ‘only’ child…that we are all brothers and sisters — family — community. As such, we need not wait until disaster looms for generosity to prevail. As such, we best not sit by and merely wonder how our brothers and sisters will survive when they have no medical care. As such, we would not tolerate a time when members of the family of God hurt because of ridicule or discrimination. As such, we wouldn’t allow a bully touching our baby sister. As such, we wouldn’t allow the schools of one brother to be significantly better than the schools of another brother. As such, we wouldn’t look the other way when drug dealers take over a house next door to our sister. If we are equal heirs…if we are one family of God…if we are truly one community of this blessed earth…our resources — financial, energy, and thoughtfulness — would be shared for the justice of all. The root of generosity — the root of our hearts being open to the needs of all the people in this world — is not just because we are awaiting or surviving a disaster. The root of generosity is recognizing that God has called us — as a whole people — to be stewards of this earth. Gad has called us to be the beloved children…heirs…the one family of God. As people of faith we are called to remembrance…called to be a generous people…called to be concerned with the needs of this entire family of God into which we have been planted. During these great days of the resurrection, may we not just look back and wonder how to re-live the great days, but may we find significant means to give out of the generosity that is rooted in our inheritance as God’s beloved children. SW |
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