Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21Generosity is a means of grace in the process of Christian sanctification. We simply will never grow in the l ove of Christ unless we allow God to form a generous spirit within us.
Pastor Tom Berlin, Defying Gravity
Kids everywhere are excited to put on their costumes today. Some of our neighbors had a lot of fun decorating their homes with scary stuff in preparation for tonight. But the thing that keeps more people up at night than anything else is money – will there be enough? What will happen if…? Financial insecurity can become the defining characteristic of a life and the thing which shapes us if we don’t learn how to be simple, frugal, and generous.
A sixteenth century Catholic priest named Francis De Sales put ink to the progression we make from frightened people into generous stewards. I love his imagery; he wrote that we first experience God when we first experience grace and become like an ostrich, able to run but not to fly. Next we respond to God’s grace through occasional acts of goodness and charity, becoming like chickens, able to fly but in a limited, clumsy way, and not for long. Full devotion to God means flying free like the birds of the air, ready to ascend whenever and wherever.
This is the last Sunday of this sermon series. I will be distributing commitment cards to each of you where you can prayerfully consider what you have given in the past and commit to your giving for the year ahead. It is powerful to remember that everything Flemington UMC does is enabled by your generosity. There is no Flemington UMC without it. Because of this, you will also get a cutout of a hand in your bulletin. Your hands, my hands, all our hands make up our ability to demonstrate our love of God in community. There is one last step to discover on Sunday morning. Until then, I pray we will fly free this week.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Ben
Compassion and Hope