Extravagant generosity is transformative
as model of stewardship in congregations

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Rev. Bill Johnson
is the winner of the first Stewardship
Sermon Contest. His prize is a weekend
on the coast. His winning sermon is
reprinted in full.

By Bill Johnson
First UMC, Bastrop
The title and topic of this sermon is borrowed from a book by Bishop Robert Schnase entitled Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. The practice of “extravagant generosity” is the fifth of five qualities that Bishop Schnase describes as characteristic of healthy, vital congregations.
Let me remind you of the words of Jesus related in Luke 12:21: “So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
We live in a culture that emphasizes the storing up of treasures. Carol and I own two cars, and we are trying to buy a house for when we retire, which must happen in no more than nine years, as mandatory retirement age for United Methodist pastors is 70. So I can identify with those who feel the need to hoard money for a time of great need.
As I see it, the sin Jesus refers to in the parable of the wealthy landowner lies not in the acquisition of wealth or material possessions but in hoarding the wealth for himself, in not being “rich toward God,” in not treating his wealth as a gift from God to be shared, in not using it to fulfill God’s purposes.
On the surface, the very idea of being “rich toward God” seems ludicrous. God is the king of all creation. Everything in the universe belongs to God. So how can we bring anything to God that is not already God’s?
God does not need our gifts. Being generous toward God is not for God’s sake. It is for our sake. God does not need our money, but we need to feel the freedom to give it out of love and gratitude for all that God has done for us.
Grateful people are happy people who realize that everything they have is a gift from God, and they give joyfully in appreciation of God’s gracious generosity to us. Grateful, generous people trust that the God who has provided for their needs will continue to provide in the future.
As one theologian said, “The wealthiest person is not the one who has the most but the one who wants the least.”
A feeling of gratitude makes us happy for what we have.
When it comes to giving back to God, the only Biblical standard for giving is the tithe. We United Methodists often misuse the word “tithe” to mean any regular amount pledged or given to the church. The word “tithe” literally means one-tenth of our income.
To find that amount, we take a paycheck or a tax return and move the decimal point one place to the left. That amount equals our tithe for a pay period or for a year.
Tithing is a scary practice.
In his book, Bishop Schnase relates the story of Matt and Keri and how they struggled with the concept of tithing.
As Carol and I did, Matt and Keri committed to a slow increase in giving to the church until they reached the goal of 10 percent. Their journey to tithing was not easy, but upon reaching their goal, they experienced a tremendous sense of accomplishment.
Keri also described how tithing broke the sense of panic, desperation and fear that had driven many of their past financial decisions.
Because tithing requires trust that God will enable us to live well on 90 percent of our income, tithing strengthens faith.
Finally, tithing increased their sense of belonging to the church. The church’s mission became their own mission.
Being “rich toward God” brings the giver an increased personal satisfaction, faith, peace and sense of community.
Bishop Schnase also related the story of a proud grandfather who stood at the baptismal font for the baptism of his infant granddaughter. After the service, the mother of another baptized infant asked the man to hold her baby for a moment.
When people commented on his lovely grandchild, he replied, “Oh, this one isn’t mine. I’m just holding him for a minute.”
The next day, the grandfather met with his pastor. When he arrived, he said he wanted to change his will to include the church.
The pastor asked why, and the grandfather said that as he told everyone the child he was holding was not his, it dawned on him that the infant was a part of his church family. The child indeed belonged to him.
He wanted to leave money to the church to insure that every young member of his church family could receive the ministries of God through this church.
As Bishop Schnase wrote, “Those who practice Extravagant Generosity have a God-given vision and faith to plant seeds for trees whose shade they will never see.”
The last of Bishop Schnase’s many examples of Extravagant Generosity I will cite illustrates how Extravagant Generosity overcomes our fears of scarcity and our practice of attempting to put limits on God’s grace.
A finance committee met to discuss how to pay a repair bill of $465. Ideas included delaying payment, a special offering or asking a wealthy church member to take care of it. Finally, a member of the committee asked for silent prayer.
After a few moments, she said, “We all realize that any one of us could write a check for the full $465, and it would not make any major difference to our lifestyle, comfort or financial security.”
Then she wrote a check for the full amount and encouraged others who felt called to do the same.
In the end, they collected enough to pay the bill and had $1,695 for new programs to teach the faith to future generations.
Extravagant Generosity results from the acknowledgment that God entrusts God’s people with the assets, resources and talents sufficient to overcome the fears and relieve obsessive focus on needs, problems and shortages. The resulting confidence can result in creative solutions and help us become “rich toward God.”
May God grant us the grace and strengthen our faith so that we see richness toward God, not as a burden or duty but as a joyful act of love and gratitude of people who acknowledge that everything we are and everything we have are gifts from God.
And may our richness toward God bear fruit within our personal lives, the life of our church and throughout God’s world.