Snapshots of Generosity

Humility, service, compassion - these are characteristics of our Savior that He wants to manifest
through us. Philippians 2 states:
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men...

Jesus is risen from the dead and He is alive in the hearts of His people.  We represent the voice of God on this earth and are part of His everlasting Kingdom.  As His representatives, we are called to lift Him up - and we do this by fervent devotion to His Word and faithful service to those with whom we come in contact.  We lift Him up by humbling ourselves before Him and living a life of generosity, reflecting the One who has given so much for us.

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In the 12th chapter of John, following the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, we recognize that God the Father had spoken, affirming His Son. We pick up in the Scripture passage:
30 Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.
31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."

With Christmas in the rear-view mirror, we can continue to consider the generous spirit that we can express as we allow the Lord to fill our hearts with His love.  I came across some examples recently that can inspire us as we consider how we can walk in the love of Christ.

First stop: Atlanta, where, according to ChristianHeadlines.com, Cascade United Methodist Church paid off $10,000 worth of layaway expenses for 23 families at a Walmart department store. The article quotes the senior pastor, Kevin Murriel; he said at an indoor Walmart ceremony, “We’ve been called by God to be here, and we want to be a blessing to those in our community...We believe that God is calling us to do [this].”

The pastor told the recipient families, “We aren’t asking you for anything...All we ask is that at some point in your life, that you will pay it forward – that you will bless someone else. Because we’re all blessed to be a blessing.”  The article states, "The church posted a video of the ceremony on Facebook that was viewed more than 10,000 times and sparked plenty of feedback."

Next stop: New Jersey, where a church in Paramus has packed over a thousand meals for needy children, according to The Christian Post.  The church is the Paramus campus of The Life Christian Church, and senior pastor Terry Smith "told The Christian Post that the food-packing event was consistent with one of the church’s core values, namely, to be 'enthusiastic servants of all.'"  The church partnered with a local charity that distributes the food kits to children across the region.

Still further north, in Massachusetts, a church is helping female former inmates who have recently been released from prison.  According to Christian Headlines:

Former female inmates from Massachusetts are receiving a little extra help this holiday season, thanks to St. John’s Episcopal Church of Ashfield, according to the Christian Post.

The congregation started a ministry called “Love in a Backpack” that supplies former inmates with three bags of items packed into a backpack. One bag contains personal care items and toiletries; another, food and water; and a third, a Bible and a hand-written note of encouragement.

Mary Link, who is in leadership for the ministry, said, “We have experienced the joy of doing God’s work through our hands, serving the women most in need during a fragile and scary transition time..." She mentioned that "other churches and groups" had partnered with St. John's.

And, there's the attorney and mom in Arkansas who bought 1,500 pairs of shoes from a Payless store that was going out of business.  According to Baptist Press, after Carrie Jernigan bought the shoes, she went to her pastor, Lee Denton and shared she was planning to give them all away anonymously.  By the end of that summer, there were still shoes, and the pastor had an idea.

"When I found out Carrie had purchased the shoes back in the early summer, I had mentioned to her that we could make it a big event," said Denton. "After she shared her initial Facebook post, it went viral within 24 hours, and we were scrambling to decide what, when, how and where."

Her post received national attention, the event became a huge back-to-school event, and Jernigan was able to buy more shoes, as well as school supplies.  And, 5,000 people showed up in a town where the population is 5,748.  Carrie offered some Kingdom mentality, saying: "I think so many times in our community that our businesses are not working with our churches and our people...Everything is so individualized. We had almost every big church in town help, almost every business, the mayor, our police forces, almost all these elected officials. There is just one kingdom, and that's what I think communities like ours have to get better at doing. I think the event is exactly what God wanted that day -- that there was a showing of all these different types of organizations that can work together for Him."

Christmas is certainly a time for the body of Christ to shine, but we really should be known for our generosity.  God gave His Son, Jesus gave His life, and He has given us new life.  It is part of who we are to be selfless, putting the needs of others above our own.  When people see our love, they can be drawn to Christ, the presence of Christ in us.

In a time when there are many who are critical of the Church and of Christian people, we can flip the script and show people what it means to follow Christ.  Our willingness to serve others is a powerful reflection of our Savior.

So, in echoing the words of the Arkansas attorney, we can consider how we can be involved in Kingdom work.  We can focus on how we can exalt Christ and be devoted to advancing His work. And, it opens doors for us to share the "why" behind "what" we are doing.