I want to begin by asking you to look around this sanctuary if you are worshipping in person. If you are joining this service via Zoom, imagine the House of the Lord. We can find many sacred items that have been dedicated to God by His generous people: stained glass windows, communion tables, wooden crosses, the church organ and piano, elders’ chairs, hymn books, pew Bibles, audio and video systems, and more.

Over the last 161 years, numerous materials have been sanctified at St. Andrew’s, Fenelon Falls. Some artifacts have been relocated from Knox Glenarm after the Glenarm congregation merged with the Fenelon assembly. Five or six years ago, our church’s main entrance and side doors were replaced. During the dedication service, we prayed that these new doors would signify Christ’s invitation to all people in our community. We have not only changed the old doors but have also made a new inclusive statement. “… At St. Andrew’s, we believe that we are all one in Christ, regardless of age, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, and physical or mental ability. We welcome into our church everyone who seeks to love God and participate in an open and supportive congregation that is grounded in the teachings of Jesus Christ …” Friends, St. Andrew’s is available to anyone searching for God’s love and truth, and our church welcomes each precious individual with open arms.

One of the strengths of our church is the faithfulness of God’s people. Over the years, I have noticed that you come and help whenever you are asked to do for His name’s sake. As a church, we may not be “big,” but with the help of our Mighty and Merciful God, we are spiritually giant. The Lord is preparing many open doors for us to continuously share the love of God in words and deeds together as a Heavenly community.

This morning, we have gathered to worship God here in this sanctuary, entering through the doors. Are we not glad that we have also a roof over our heads in the House of the Lord. The roof in our church represents God’s protection and provision… Once again, I invite all of you to pray that our church’s beautiful roof serves as a sign of the unity of our congregation. We pray that all the people outside the church can sense Christ’s loving heart and ours and experience God’s grace and truth under His care.

Today, we will look at one of Christ’s characteristics: generosity in our spiritual community. The Greek word for community, often translated as “fellowship” in English, is such an important term. There is a deep connection between community and contribution. In a way, we cannot build genuine community without generous contributions. We are generous with our time, energy, money, and other resources when we are truly part of the fellowship. This morning I want us to think about why God wants us to learn to be generous with each other. There are five incredible benefits in our faith journeys when we are generous with other people.

Firstly, generosity creates community. 2 Corinthians 9 tells us, “Your generosity… not only provides for the needs of God’s people, but also produces prayers of thanksgiving to God.” In Matthew 6, Jesus says this: “Your heart will be wherever your treasure is.” In Acts 4, it tells us that “The community of believers… shared everything in common.” …They were like a family, sharing everything they had. One of the enjoyable moments my wife and me is watching our children share with each other. As parents, we are very happy when we see our children being unselfish. God is the same way. Giving or generosity creates community…

Secondly, generosity defeats materialism. The Bible says this in Matthew 6:24, “You cannot serve both God and money.” Notice the word “cannot”? …In this sea of selfishness God has planted an oasis of generosity at St. Andrew’s. I have heard and seen that we as Presbyterians respond generously when authentic mission needs are presented. We have many generous people in this church. It is amazing compared to our culture…

Thirdly, generosity strengthens our faith. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:13, “Your giving proves the reality of your faith.” The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:8, “God is able to make it up to you by giving you everything you need and… plenty left over to give joyfully to others.” Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

Fourthly, generosity is an investment for eternity. Jesus said, “Use your worldly resources to benefit others…In this way your generosity stores up a reward for you in heaven” (Luke 16:9)… 1 Timothy 6 says, “Tell the rich to use their money to do good… giving happily to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this, they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven – the only safe investment for eternity! And they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well.” Deuteronomy 15:10 says, “Give generously… and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” Acts 20:35 says, “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.”

Lastly, generosity makes me more like God. John 1 says, “We all live off God’s generous bounty, gift after gift after gift.” God is a giver. “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son” (Jon 3:16). The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “Remember the generosity of Jesus Christ, the Lord of all. He was rich beyond our telling, yet He became poor for your sake so that His poverty might make you rich.” Acts 15:11 says, “…We were saved because Jesus… out of sheer generosity moved to save us…”

Friends, we know that everything we have is a gift from God. We would have nothing if God were not generous. God wants us to learn to be like Him. He wants us to remember that every time we are generous, it creates community, defeats materialism, strengthens our faith, and invests in eternity. God wants us to learn to be generous like Him, giving thoughtfully, enthusiastically, voluntarily, and cheerfully. Again, God wants us to give our thanks through our generous lives before the Lord since, as a Generous God, He gave His greatest gift, Jesus Christ, to die in our place for our sins, allowing us to experience His abundant blessings in our faith journeys.

* In this sermon, I have used some materials from the sermons Rick Warren prepared for “40 Days of Community.”