“This is how we know what love is:
Christ laid down his life for us.
And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them,
how can the love of God be in that person?
Dear friends, let us not love with word or speech,
but with actions and in truth.”
1 John 3:16-18
Having just celebrated the season of Christmas, I want you to think about the gifts you received.
Is there one that stands out – maybe because it was so thoughtful or meaningful?
It could be a tangible object, or maybe it was a kind gesture someone offered.
Perhaps it wasn’t this Christmas – but a gift from some time ago that you still think about.
Whatever it was – I bet it reminded you of how loved and valued you were by someone else.
The Bible reminds us that we experience what love is for ourselves and learn how to love others well through the act of giving of ourselves to one another.
Giving of ourselves can look any number of ways:
Our time
Our patience
Our financial resources
Our compassion
Our listening ears
And if you don’t know where to start, look at your abundance. God calls us to give out of what we’ve been given.
No matter where your abundance lies, one aspect of growing as a disciple of Christ is learning to respond to God’s wonderful generosity toward us. We give to others because God first gave to us. We commit to live in a community that seeks to take care of one another because God chooses to be in community with us.
Growing in generosity is about aligning our priorities with God’s priorities, aligning our hearts with God’s heart. And we are all called to grow in generosity as part of our individual spirituality, as well as in our commitment to the body of Christ.
This January, we will be going through a Stewardship Series called Greater Than.
We will be challenged by the Scriptures to live in a way that cultivates greater generosity as we ask ourselves: How is God inviting me to grow in my investment toward others – in my family, my church, my community, and the world?
We hope you will join us.
Pastor Kate
