The Miracle of Generosity

This past Sunday Pastor John and I debuted our Advent message series, "Be Part of the Christmas Miracle." Advent is the season of preparation for Christmas where we commemorate God coming to earth in Jesus, as well as looking forward to the return of Jesus (see Revelation 21:1-7). During this special season, we also think critically about how we are to live lives of Christian hope, peace, love, and joy to share the miracle of God with the world, beginning in our own backyard. 

As we began talking about the miracle of God, we explained it this way: (1) the miracle comes first in God's presence with us, in spite of the fact that we do not deserve it; (2) the miracle of God's presence transforms our lives as we begin to live for Him; and (3) God invites us to participate in the miracle by serving, sharing, and shining the light and love of God for others. Understanding the nature of God's miracle, and how we are invited to participate and share in it, can help us garner a whole new appreciation for Christmas and our need to prepare adequately for it during Advent! 

This coming Sunday, we will continue our "Be Part of the Christmas Miracle" message series as we explore the miracle of generosity. This is perhaps the one time of year when we all palpably know that it is better to give than to receive. The fact of the matter is that God gave us all the love, grace, and mercy, and hope of eternity, and that changes the way we live in the here-and-now! God's generosity greets us in the midst of our own existence, changes the way we see the world, and challenges us to live lives of generosity for the transformation of the world. Let's face it, God is a giver and we are to be givers, too! So as we live generous lives, we not only change the world, but find ourselves changed, too!!!

As part of our Advent series, we will each have the opportunity to flex our generosity muscles, so to speak. We are challenging each individual and family to commit to being generous for the world -- please consider making a special gift (over and above your regular commitment to giving to the church) that will be used in mission and ministry to the world! We have set an ambitious goal of $10,000, but imagine the miracles that can be done in the name of Jesus Christ as we seriously consider our call to share in the miracle of generosity! Every penny will be used to share the love of God with people all across the globe. 

This is indeed a special and blessed season as we consider the amazing gift of God and the implications it has for our lives. I join the Apostle Paul and share his prayer from Ephesians 3: I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Eph.3:16-19, NIV) This is the essence of God's generosity and our call to be difference makers in the lives of others as a difference is made in the world for God!