1 Timothy 6.11-19
Luke 17.11-19
In our Gospel reading we heard of the one leper, who came back to thank Jesus for his healing and in this Generosity week I want to start with thanks. We are very blessed in this Benefice in having many church members who sacrificially and generously donate to the work of the church. I thank all of you for the wonderful demonstration of God’s generosity that you show. You are an inspiration and an encouragement to everyone. A huge thank you to all of you, both those who give on the plate and those who give by monthly payments from their bank. We are hugely indebted to you for your many years of Generous Giving and we have a church presence here in this community because of you. I praise God for the culture of sacrificial giving that is here and I pray that others will become part of that culture. Thank you to you all.
I recently was sent a table of giving from across this deanery which compared the parish offer of each Benefice according to the number of church attendees and this Benefice was at the top in terms of how much was given per person. Not only are individuals generous in their giving but the three PCCs strive to be generous to the Diocese in what we send them each year in the form of the Parish Offer. This goes towards the cost of having me - a stipendiary priest - here full time in this Benefice. This year we have committed to paying £52,548 and although this does not meet the actual costs of £60,000 it is a good way towards it and the second highest in the deanery. For those who like figures, about one third of the £60,000 is my stipend, the rest pays for the Rectory, training of future clergy for example Freddie and Tracy, some central diocesan office costs - we need their support and cannot function without it - and pensions of those clergy who have served in this diocese. All very important and necessary payments.
Each church then has to pay for its own insurance and running and maintenance costs just like any building. Plus at the moment we have a number of projects going forward. A faculty is in process for Longden church to replace the faded green altar frontal. A large part of this will be funded by a legacy, but there is an opportunity to pay towards the extra cost of £1000. Legacies are hugely valuable to us so please do consider making a donation to the church in your will and make sure it is tied to inflation so that it does not lose its value over the years. At Annscroft we have recently upgraded the music system as the old one was temperamental, this cost £2000. At Pulverbatch we will need to replace the south side of the main roof - a major project - and at Hanwood we are looking at making the social area and Extension more inviting. We will be applying for grants for the latter projects but donations are always needed and help the grant process. In addition to the building costs, we are running two Messy Churches and our thanks go out to the leaders, and cake makers who make this possible. Our Messy Churches are wonderful opportunities to engage with local families which is hugely important and you are all welcome to come and pop into any Messy Church and see what happens there. There is a great buzz and it is a privilege to offer them. So come and see and be inspired.
After a recent school collective worship on generosity I was struck by a law that seems to be at play. Physicists among us will know the physical laws that govern our lives - gravity, the laws of thermodynamics, electromagnetism, conservation of energy, Newton’s laws of motion Hooke’s law, Boyle’s law etc. All of these have been proved to always work. What the law states, happens. But I have noticed what I might term the law of generosity. When I give to another person or a charity, something positive happens within me - an unlocking of pleasure, of joy of happiness and a release from worrying about whether I will have enough. Christian Smith and Hilary Johnson affirm this in their book “The Paradox of Generosity”. Giving we receive, grasping we lose. We flourish when we give, whether that be of time, energy, resources. A simple example - and I expect that all of you have experienced this for yourself. At Christmas do you get more pleasure from giving a present than in receiving? I think most adults do, especially when the recipient is delighted with the gift. This echoes the Bible verse from Acts 20.35, Paul quoting Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive .”
God is a God who loves to give and he gives generously. Not only did he give his only Son for our salvation but as we learnt last week he created this beautiful world for us to enjoy and look after. Look at the second half of verse 17 in our first reading from Paul’s first letter to Timothy: “Set their hopes on God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” God has given us this world to enjoy! And what abundance there is. We have loads of cooking apples on our apple tree and I have brought some in and they are at the back - do take some home with you. Yesterday I picked up my first conker this year - they are so beautiful, I love the strong colouring of a new conker - so striking and individual. And there are so many of them!
God is a generous God and calls us to be generous too. In being made in his image, we are made to be creatures of giving. When we hold back we mar the image of God in us, we squash the natural generous love within us. And as the next verse in our first reading says, we also have an effect upon our eternity.
Verse 18 - The rich are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.”
This future is the life after this life. Paul is saying that our generosity now, stores up treasures for us in heaven. That is quite a statement. Not only does our generosity impact us now, making us happier and more joyful but it builds up something important in heaven.
To conclude, I return to the leper and my initial thanks. When the leper prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him for his healing, he received a further and deeper emotional healing from Jesus, a wholeness that filled his whole body. When we thank God for what he gives to us, we are also blessed further. So let us be still for a moment, let us thank God for each other, thank God for generosity.
Prayer: Father we praise you that we are made in your image, that you created us to be generous and that in giving we flourish. Thank you for the generosity of each other, thank you for your generosity and the abundance we see around us. Help us to trust you for the present and the future. Amen.