Sermon
The University of Notre Dame's Science of Generosity Project defines generosity as “the virtue of giving good things to others freely and abundantly.” When we think deeply about this definition, three parts stand out clearly. Generosity is giving “good things”, giving “freely”, and giving “abundantly.”
When we think of being generous, we may think of giving-plus. The difference between giving and being generous is sometimes seen as including two things: 1) the amount of “above-and-beyond” that is included, and 2) the attitude with which one does the giving.
If I give my friend $5.00 for a birthday present every year, but one year I decided to give $10.00, we might say that I was generous that year. I went above and beyond by giving more than the expected $5.00. It's easy to see how the term generous fits.
The question of giving freely is harder to measure. So often we don't even realize that we have strings attached to something we have given. Giving a gift for a purpose isn't the same as having strings attached. Giving a gift that we expect to reflect back on ourselves though is how we can tell we have not given freely. There's something about expecting something in return for ourselves that makes us lose generosity points. I give because I want to be noticed; I give because I want to be the hero; I give because I am overcompensating for other guilt I have. Sometime this is called one-handed giving. Giving freely is something only we can judge for ourselves based on our inner dialogue with ourselves.
Robert D. Kaplan wrote a book recently called “The Good American: The Epic Life of Bob Gersony, the U. S. Government's Greatest Humanitarian.” From the Prologue, we read that Bob Gersony “spent forty years interviewing at great length over eight thousand refugees, displaced persons, and humanitarian workers in virtually every war and disaster zone on earth as a special contractor for the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the United Nations.”
One review of this book said, “The beautiful thing for me is that he gave entire peoples a way to say what they really wanted, rather than have well-meaning people flood the area with stuff they thought they needed.”1 [italics mine]
Paul uses an interesting word in today's passage to talk about generosity. He refers to a “generous undertaking,” and “the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Greek word Paul uses is “charis” which we are used to seeing as the word grace. The versatility of ancient Greek is such that in 2 Corinthians alone, Paul uses the word to mean “favor,” “thanks,” blessing,” privilege,” “grace,” “generous act,” and “generous undertaking.” The word is used five times just in the text from today.
The collection Paul refers to is the collection of funds for the churches in Jerusalem. In the text just before this one, Paul has just congratulated the churches in Macedonia for their giving, saying “for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means.” Paul wants the church in Corinth to excel as the Macedonians have. Paul is “testing the genuineness of [the Corinthian's] love against the earnestness of others.” Paul compares the Corinthians to the Macedonians, tests their genuineness, and advises them to finish what they started. The biggest food for thought that Paul gives, is the way he uses this same word “charis” to creatively “characterize participation in the collection as sharing in the same reality as the “charis of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (v.9) 3
When you give, you are actually participating in the exact same giving that Jesus gave for us. Paul uses “charis” to describe the Corinthians “generous undertaking” of giving to the Jerusalem churches as the same as Jesus' “generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.”
This would be a great sermon illustration for Stewardship Sunday that churches often have in the fall. Since Paul has reminded us just how many ways “charis” is exhibited, through the words “favor,” “thanks,” blessing,” privilege,” “grace,” “generous act,” and “generous undertaking” we don't have to wait until a particular Sunday in the year to connect any of our giving with financial giving. As John Wesley, one of the heroes of the Reformed Tradition from which we hail has said, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” 3
Notice that Paul does not subscribe to the philosophy that says, “No pain, no gain,” or “Give until it hurts.” After Paul has done his best to ratchet up the competition and eagerness of the Corinthians, he reminds them though that the generous act that they began should be by “completing it according to your means.” The gift is according to what one has not according to what one does not have. If the eagerness is there he says. This is the giving freely we were talking about earlier. Only we know in our own hearts and in our own thinking if we are giving freely – if the eagerness is there the gift is acceptable.
This is true for any gift we want to give. Time for example. By volunteering in an area that brings you joy – for the church, for the neighborhood, for a school, for a good cause. Your complete attention -- to a good friend in need, to a child, to your work. Your spirit can be generous too – In her book Rising Strong, Brené Brown asks us to think about generosity in terms of interpersonal skills. She asks us, “What is the hypothesis of generosity? What is the most generous assumption you can make about this person's intentions or what this person said?” Quoting her husband, he said to her, “All I know is that my life is better when I assume that people are doing their best. It keeps me out of judgment and lets me focus on what is, and not what should or could be.” 4
This is one of the most important versions of generosity we can offer. She asks us to assume that people are doing the best that they can. Just think how different the outcome of our disagreements would be if that was our assumption right out of the gate. Mind you, we may find that assumption challenged as the conversation or circumstances continue, but, it makes a complete 180 degree shift in how we approach any situation.
I offer us today, the notion that generosity brings us freedom. Rather than thinking being generous is about giving, we need to notice that being generous gives us far more than we ever give away. Being generous makes us happy, makes us feel needed, makes us feel capable, and eliminates huge barriers like judgement, shame, unfounded feelings of hurt, and brings us a sense of purpose.
Most of all, being a generous person allows us to be involved as fully as possible in the same work of Christ, the same “charis” of Christ who was generous to us beyond all measure.
Thanks be to God.
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1 Facebook page for John McGuire
2 Stephen P. Ahearne-Kross, Feasting on the Word series, Year B Volume 3, p.187
3 John Wesley (b.1803) was an English cleric, theologian, and evangelist, who was a leader of a revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies he founded became the dominant form of the independent Methodist movement that continues to this day. His teachings are a part of all of the reform movements in our branch of religious history, during the 1700's and what became known as the First Great Awakening. This is one of his famous quotes. (John Wesley Quotes accessed June 26, 2021.)
4 Brené Brown, Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead