“And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.” (1 Corinthians 8:1-5)

It’s stewardship time at St. John in the Wilderness! I am always excited to provide God’s people the opportunity to be generous with their lives. In his first letter to the budding church in Corinth, Paul gives us a picture of what Christian generosity looks like. While the event is recorded with just a few verses in the Bible, we can learn a lot.  First of all, note that the people in these Macedonian churches were not wealthy.  They, however, didn’t allow their poverty to get in the way of their generosity. They give sacrificially and even foolishly. These Macedonian followers of Jesus identified a need, and out of their “overflowing joy,” responded with “rich generosity.” They gave not only in accordance with their means, but even beyond their means! Furthermore, they considered it a “privilege” to do so.

Wow.  Just, wow.  God’s people, imbued with God’s Spirit, grateful for God’s blessings, giving joyfully and generously, and considering it a privilege to do so. That’s the way it’s supposed to work, folks.

But rarely does it look like that for us modern-day Christians.  Most of us are, indeed, grateful for the blessings that God has poured into our lives. Rarely, however, does that gratitude lead to the kind of generosity displayed by the Macedonian churches. Most of us, myself included, give to the work of the church, but we do so somewhat haltingly and sometimes, even slightly grudgingly. Like the Macedonians, we see the need, recognizing the value of our faith community and understanding that it costs money for the community to remain strong and vibrant and valuable to the larger community. With a few beautiful exceptions, however, most of our giving is neither truly sacrificial nor joyful. 

But I want to be among those of you who are the beautiful exceptions! I want to be like those beautifully joyful and generous Macedonian followers of Jesus! I want to be overflowing with gratitude and joy and generosity! I want to be among those who consider it an enormous privilege to be able to give sacrificially for the sake of God’s Kingdom! I hope and pray that you do too.

Well, now’s our chance! It’s stewardship time! Over the course of the next two weeks, we will be talking about the opportunity we have to give of our time, talent and treasure to St. John in the Wilderness. May our campaign this year exceed our expectations! With our Macedonian forbears, may we give ourselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God to the work of God’s Kingdom.

~Father Art