It may surprise you that generosity is one of the nine fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22. If you’re like me, you remember the list as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness” and then you kind of stumble a bit and then remember, “self – control … and, oh yeah, I think goodness is in there somewhere.” And it is! But the Greek word usually translated as goodness in the King James version and in our own Living Faith can just as well be translated as “generosity,” which is how it is translated in the New Revised Standard version. And I think this is really a better translation. For the kind of “goodness” that Paul talks about in his letter to the Galatians has less to do with moral rectitude and more to do with effective functionality.
I remember years ago receiving a candle as a Christmas present. The candle came to have deep sentimental value for me, for it was given to celebrate the first Christmas after I was ordained, and the time when my mother was dying of cancer. It was moulded into the shape of a picturesque church building with a tall steeple, arched windows on each side and a wick on the top of the roof. The wax church was painted as if it were decorated for Christmas, and I would put the candle out each Christmas season and place it in some prominent place in my home. But I would never light it. I wanted to preserve my candle as a beautiful Christmas decoration and a sacred memory.
Then one Sunday, on impulse, I took the candle with me to worship as an object lesson for the children during Advent. Showing them my candle, I told them how beautiful I thought it was and how much I treasured it. I told them how I had had the candle for years and how I pulled it out each Christmas. Then I shared with them my dilemma. “Should I light the candle or not?” I asked. If I light the candle, the wax church would slowly disappear as fuel for the flame. If I didn’t light it, the candle would remain just as it was when I first received it, but it would never glow with a warm and attractive light. “What should I do?” I asked as I held the candle in one hand and a box of matches in the other. “I will do whatever you decide.”
The children discussed the decision with one another and then they quickly decided. It was unanimous. I should light the candle. After all, that’s what candles are for! “Light it!” they shouted with delight, eager to see the candle burn. Then with a measure of grief and excitement, I struck the match and lit the wick. And soon my little wax church was glowing brightly. Placing the burning candle on the communion table, I led the children in prayer as my candle church continued to burn and share its light throughout the rest of the service.
I am reminded of the words of one elderly woman known in her community as a large and generous soul. “What is your secret for abundant living?” one person asked her. “It’s simple,” she replied. “Don’t be afraid to use yourself up!”
As I think about it, I think that the greatest fear of the Presbyterian Church today is that we are afraid that we are “running out”—running out of time, running out of money, running out of ideas, running out of leaders, running out of energy, running out of young people … you know, running out. But the good news of the gospel is that God’s endless supply of grace never runs out and that Christ has promised he will never run out on us. “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you,” he promised his frightened disciples the night before his arrest and crucifixion. (John 14:18) And Christ kept his promise even as he keeps all his promises. Indeed, he is with us today as our resurrected Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us and among us.
