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Sermon September 24, 2023
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, MSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A, Track 1, Proper 20
https://lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/AProp20_RCL.html
Audio: /documents/Eucharist__September_24__2023
Video: https://youtu.be/Stl9ST6nZ4A
Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?
Back in July, a man and his nephew stopped by the church to visit. The man had visited a few years ago, but this time brought his adult nephew with him. His parents had attended the church and every couple of years, when he gets to Newport from his home in New Jersey, he stops in.
It was funny, because I had been thinking of him and wondering how he was. We talked a bit, especially about New Jersey and New York City. I told him I was taking my granddaughter and two of her friends on a trip to New York City later that week. I explained that it was an early birthday present for my granddaughter, whose birthday is in September.
We walked around Nativity, including visiting the sanctuary. As is his custom, he gave a donation to the church.
As he was walking out the door, he said, “Let me buy you and your granddaughter and her friends dinner in New York City.” I said, “Oh, that’s okay. There will be four of us, so it will be expensive.” He pulled out a $100 bill and as he handed it to me said, “Well, this should pay for half of the dinner at least.”
I was overwhelmed! How generous and what a gift. On that Sunday, I drove my granddaughter and her friends to New Jersey, just across the river from New York stayed at a hotel in Newport, NJ. We decided to eat near the hotel at the Cheesecake Factory. My granddaughter’s friends had never eaten there. We took a photo of ourselves and printed it on paper and signed our thanks and sent it to our generous dinner benefactor.
Generosity comes in many forms, doesn’t it? Sometimes it is a large financial donation or an unexpected gift. I’ve always remembered how in the early 1980s, when I was a single mother with two young children, the pastor of my church showed up at my door one day with a bag of groceries and a check for $25. Generosity.
Generosity of spirit is also a form. It is about being open and available to other people. I discovered a great lesson in my MSW studies in 1995. It was from the book, How Can I Help? by Ram Dass. He talked about how hard it is to just sit with people and be with them and listen to them. Often we get busy and want to try to make things better or change things for them. Sometimes we want to give solutions and advice. What Ram Dass pointed out is that that anxiety or busyness is really about us having a hard time being with people emotionally, and I’d say spiritually, in their difficult times. It is really not all that easy to accompany people/be with people when they are hurting or suffering. A generous spirit is able to do that work.
There is generosity of our talents. We all have things we are really good at and that we enjoy. We give them freely to individuals and organizations as they are needed. This church could not operate without you, the members, being generous with your time and talents.
Sometimes we discount being here in person or on Zoom on a Sunday morning, but your presence and participating in worship is a way your are generous to this community.
In today’s Gospel, we hear and are taught more about God’s generosity. God unconditionally loves us. Some of us find God and do God’s work early on in our lives. Our lives are so different as a result. We make different decisions about how we will live our lives. I wouldn’t say our lives are easy, per se, because we often go against the grain of what society tells us. In addition, following our triune God’s calling can be scary and lead us to places we never thought we would go. Yet, I would say we have more contentment, joy, and love in our lives when we follow our triune God.
Then there are those of us who come to belief later in life. We are still transformed and changed and maybe for not as long.
Yet, God loves all of us the same. God is not about “if I give you this, you will give me that,” or quid pro quo. There is nothing we can do to earn more of God’s love and less of God’s love. God’s love and presence is there all of the time. As someone I know is fond of saying, “We cannot outgive God.” We will never match God’s generosity towards us and towards all who inhabit this earth.
Yet, God calls us to be generous in all aspects of our lives. And we have this wonderful community in which to practice generosity with the resources with which we have been blessed.
This week, for instance, Vestry will consider the Giving To Others or (GTO) donations for this year. Those donations show our generosity of resources and help many organizations and people.
This past week, members of the Program and Mission Committee prepared gift bags for residents of the Commons and Gardens – about 85 bags. They had apple juice, pens, and activity books, plus a nice “thinking of you” message written by Sue Beamer. Tiff and Nic delivered these bags on Friday and as usual, people were very excited to receive these gifts and know they were cared for.
As you know, this is my last Sunday as your Rector. It has been awesome to walk with you in our journey of faith in this place. There is so much that will continue to affect my life. I give thanks for your generosity towards me, the parish and our community. I pray that you continue to grow in generosity.
Amen
