“Walking in the Way of Generosity”

1 Corinthians 12: 12-17, 26-31

Oct. 6, 2019 

Sermon by Rev. Caela Simmons Wood

First Congregational UCC of Manhattan, KS

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians gives us the opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes look at life in the Early Church. Written in the early 50s, it’s one of the oldest books in the Second Testament. Alongside Timothy, Priscilla, Aquila, and Phoebe, Paul helped organize what we would now call “house churches” in Corinth.

Eventually, he moved on to Ephesus and continued his preaching and teaching. But he never forgot about the communities he left behind, writing letters to continue to offer guidance and support. These letters remind us that sometimes there is nothing new under the sun. Being a part of a community means sharing in one other joys and concerns. It means having someone who is there to drive you to a medical procedure. It means having a refrigerator overflowing with food after a funeral. But sometimes it also means feeling hurt because no one asked how your surgery went...or sitting alone in your grief wondering why no one quite seems to understand what you’re going through.

In short, being a part of a community of faith means giving thanks when we get it right….and saying sorry when we get it wrong. This is true now and it was true in Paul’s time as well. 

Through all the disappointments, Paul exhorts the early followers of Jesus to continue striving for what he calls “a more excellent way.” Followers of “the Way” as the early Church was called in Acts are expected to keep moving slowly but steadily down the path marked by Jesus. 

When Paul says “I will show you a more excellent way” he immediately continues with “love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious or arrogant or rude.” The more excellent way is the way of love. This is why Jesus said the most important law is to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. We could live our ENTIRE lives just striving to walk in the path of Love the way Jesus and Paul describe it. 

And this right here, beloveds, is why I need the Church. Because following in the Way of Jesus is hard work and there’s no way I could do it alone. I respect that other people may not need a community to do the work, but I sure do. The Church is where I have been encouraged to push myself to try new things that are difficult but turn out to be incredibly life-giving and transformative. 

October is the month of the year when our leadership asks us each to prayerfully consider our financial commitments to First Congregational. I’m excited that you’re going to have a chance this month to hear conversations during worship about the practice of generosity...what it means to people in our congregation and why and how they choose to support the ministry we share. Every single thing we do together as a congregation is funded by us. Together we make this building available to the community, offer living wages to our staff, invite people into the way of Jesus, show up with those who are marginalized and oppressed, create space for inspiring worship and difficult conversations, and do our best to walk in the Ways of Jesus together. 

As we begin this time of discernment, I want to share my own testimony of how the regular practice of financial generosity has changed my life. 

When David and I first got married, we began the process of combining our finances. In doing so, I learned that David grew up in a family that tithed. Meaning, they followed what some consider to be a Biblical mandate of giving away 10% of their income. MY MIND WAS BLOWN. I mean, I was an active churchgoer but had no idea that there were people who actually gave away 10% of their income. This truly seemed impossible to me. But it was important to David, so I agreed we could give it a try. 

I was shocked to discover how much the practice changed my relationship with God. First, sitting down and writing out a check each month to share with others made me feel SO good. We opted (and still opt) to give a significant amount of our tithe to the Church but we also share in other ways. When we were in our early 20s and were able to save up and buy Christmas presents for a family in need, or give a generous contribution to CROP walk, or support a young person in our congregation who was raising money for an important cause...well, my heart soared. It felt so good to share. And it made me want to be more generous with my time and energy, too. I had no idea that giving away money could bring such joy. 

But the really amazing thing was what happened to the money I kept. Doing this incredibly difficult thing with our money made me feel less worried about money in general. I felt detached from it in a new way. I had a sense that all of it was just on loan to me anyway. I was not expecting that huge soul shift. I was, and continue to be, so thankful to God for this revelation, which is so very counter-intuitive and counter-cultural. 

So the tithing thing has been a spiritual practice for me since I was 20. And we continue to follow the practice of giving a significant portion of our gifts to the Church AND some of it to other organizations that are working to build the Realm of God’s justice and peace. Every month when I notice that my automatic contribution to First Congregational has hit our bank account, I feel good knowing that we are supporting a faith community that is striving for “a more excellent way.” 

There are so many public ways our congregation is striving to live in Christ’s more excellent way of love. I don’t have time to list them all….showing up and loving loudly in public: at Little Apple Pride, the Poor People’s Campaign, City Commission meetings, writing letters for more just immigration policies. The kind of love that is tangible...filling up the Blessing Box for hungry neighbors each day, showinf up at church at 9:00 on a Sunday night to haul giant trays of recovered food into the basement so it can be used at Second Helping, packaging up boxes filled with Backpacks of Hope for our neighbors from Central America. And the kind of love that says, you are welcome here….you, who need a place for your 12 step meeting; you, who are looking for a place to gather for TransKansas; you, who are advocating for renters’ rights, planning the annual MLK Day celebration, coming for kids’ yoga, rehearsing for or offering a concert. 

These are all things that are visible to you. 

As your pastor, I have the honor and privilege of seeing so many things that happen behind-the-scenes that you may not know about. Here’s just one recent story that I received permission to share with you today. A few years ago, there was a young couple who attended services with some regularity, never becoming members, but showing up and participating in worship. They eventually stopped showing up. I assumed they had moved on to another congregation or perhaps moved away. Last month I got a text from Cliff and he asked if he and Kinsey could meet with me. 

When we got together, they thanked me for making time to get together on such short notice and told me they were getting ready to move across the country. But before they left, they wanted to stop by and tell me about how much our congregation had meant to them. They were so thankful for our bold witness of God’s love for all people. They appreciated our intentionality in trying to build a more just world...a place where people are striving to live in that “more excellent way” of love. They said they wished they had been able to be more involved in their time here, but work and life got in the way. But they couldn’t leave without saying thank you. And so, I pass on their thanks to you.

Cliff and Kinsey saw you walking in that more excellent way of love. And I see it, too, on a daily basis. I see you talk to your neighbors and friends when they are hurting...I see how you invite them to church and respect them if that’s not what they need right now. I get to know your friends when you refer them to me because they need a listening ear as they go through an illness or grief. You show up with kleenexes and casseroles and offer rides and childcare and mow lawns when people are grieving or going through a divorce. I see you when you make sure a homeless neighbor is connected with resources. I see you when you sit up all night with a friend who is suicidal. I see your neighbors and friends let you in to the messiest parts of their lives and I see you walking in a more excellent way of love when you are entrusted with that sacred duty.

I never stop giving thanks for the opportunity to minister alongside you. I have learned so much from you and am honored to have you as companions on the Way with me.