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Here at church, over the last few weeks we have been exploring generosity. We’ve heard stories about life sustaining and life changing generosity. We have witnessed and perhaps been considering for ourselves, how we extend God’s love to others and what it means to live from a place of generosity. Listening to these stories I’ve been struck by the interconnection between giving and receiving. Are they opposites? Are they two sides of the same coin? Or is the connection even deeper than that? Could they be the very same thing -- just called by different names?  

Are we ever only giving? Are we ever only receiving? We all know the soul-satisfying experience of helping someone----the pleasure we feel when we extend ourselves for another. In those moments, especially those of divinely inspired giving, it is unclear who is the giver and who is the receiver. It’s as if in that moment, the two have merged into one. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn that some languages have only one word to connote both meanings.

As I ponder this mysterious link between giving and receiving, I wonder, is it possible for us to unintentionally clog the pipes of generosity by holding back? If we refuse to receive, does this effect what we are able to give? When we turn down the offer of a favor or refuse a gift, are we blocking the flow of generosity in our lives? And alternately, by limiting what we give, do we limit what we are able to receive? When we are hesitant to give of what we have, fearful that we don’t have enough, are we blocking the flow of abundance in our lives?

There are over 50 references to generosity in the Bible. I’d like to read you just two of them and then tell you a story.

From 2nd Corinthians: (2 Corinthians 9:): Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God....

And from Luke, Chapter 6 (Luke 6:38) Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.

Two sentences from these scriptures stand out to me: "You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity" and "the measure you give will be the measure you get back". Do these words dangerously entice us into becoming greedy givers? Do they incline us selfishly to give in order to get? Should our motives be higher, more pure. I don’t know. What I hear in these scripture verses is not so much that God personally rewards us for doing good, to me the scripture is telling us simply that this is how things work; this is the natural order of things. The measure you give is the measure you get back.

I want to tell you a story about ridiculous generosity. This story took place about 25 years ago, to a woman in her 20’s named Mary. Though Mary had been financially self-sufficient since the age of 15, when she was about 27 she fell upon hard times. She had worked as a clinical social worker in a stressful and challenging setting. A few situations at work, including a client’s serious threat on her life and another client’s suicide, unearthed for Mary a lifetime of emotions---predominantly fear. As a child she had coped with her chaotic upbringing by stuffing her emotions. Suddenly these emotions could no longer be kept down. Fear, sadness, anger, guilt and rage emerged so intensely that Mary was unable to work. Because Mary’s emotional breakdown was set off by work related incidents, she qualified for unemployment compensation. She received $120 a week---or about $480 a month. Mary’s rent was $375.00 per month. That left $105 a month or about $25 a week to cover everything else; food, car expenses, healthcare, clothes, insurance, everything. It wasn’t really enough for even 3 healthy meals a day.

One morning, Mary’s friend Lisa was keeping her company while she stood on the Unemployment line to get her weekly check. Mary was crying, she was terrified. She didn’t have enough money and she didn’t see any solution to her situation. Lisa was a Christian and the advice she gave Mary came from the teachings of her faith. She told her, "you need to start tithing. You need to give 10% of everything God gives you away." Mary’s jaw dropped open. It shocked her so much she actually stopped crying.

"You’ve got to be kidding".

But Lisa was not kidding, she told Mary there was something divine and mysterious that happened when you tithed that guaranteed that all of your needs would be met and that promised to permanently release you from financial fear. She shared her own experience in this regard and was pretty convincing. And she quoted some of the scripture verses I just read to you.

Mary was not a Christian. She was raised in an atheist home and while she was beginning to believe in God, she was not religious, she had never even heard of tithing. Mary didn’t have a lot in the faith department but what she had going for her was her desperation. She had no solutions of her own, and was in urgent need of relief. Ludicrous as it sounded, she decided to give it a try.

She went home and pondered where to give 10% of her unemployment check. Since Mary did not attend a church, Lisa suggested she give her tithes to places that spiritually filled her, or to places that she saw as the "hands and feet of God". Mary sat down at her desk and wrote the $12 check to an organization that had provided emotional support to her during this difficult time. As she wrote the check, she was surprised by how uplifted she felt. She didn’t feel crazy, or stupid or frightened. She felt rich. Visions of her grandmother came to mind. Her paternal grandmother had been wealthy. Mary had seen her grandmother sitting at her desk writing checks to charitable organizations. In Mary’s mind, rich people did such things.

Over the next three months she faithfully gave away 10% of her Unemployment check. Every week she wrote out a check for $12 (or sometimes 2 six dollar checks). She continued to feel uplifted doing so. But what about her rent, and food and general living costs. If she didn’t have enough money for adequate food before she started tithing, reducing it by $48 a month couldn’t be helping much.

Let me tell you what happened after Mary got generous. Within a week, she had an offer to move into a rent-controlled apartment with a friend. Doing so cut her housing costs down to $110 per month. That meant she had a roof over her head, and food, and a bit left over for other essentials. Coincidence?

A couple of months later, Mary’s unemployment was due to run out. Not yet able to return to work, she was surprised to find herself not so fearful. She was beginning to believe that God cared about her and was providing for her. She couldn’t fathom how things would work out but she was starting to believe that they would. Out of the blue, she got a letter in the mail from the government saying that her Unemployment had been extended for an additional 3 months. She smiled, shook her head and said a prayer of thanks. Coincidence?

Two months into that 3 month extension, Mary was still unable to work. Only 4 more weeks of unemployment compensation would be coming her way. She received a phone call, the sad news that her great Aunt Edith had died. Mary was not close to this great aunt but fondly remembered stayed with her for a couple of weeks in the summer when she was 9 years old. Aunt Edith wore the same 3 dresses over and over. She seemed to eat only Ritz crackers and Campbell’s soup and her home was badly in need of repairs. She had never had children and seemed not to know what to do with them, but she had been kind, and she had taught Mary how to shuffle cards like nobody’s business. Mary and many of her relatives had thought that Aunt Edith was somewhat impoverished. As it turned out, she had quite a bit of money stashed away. With no children of her own, she asked that her money be divided between her 11 great nieces and nephews. Coincidence?

Perhaps by now you have guessed that that young woman in her 20’s was me. I wasn’t lying to you, my legal name is actually Mary. This experience was so profound and life changing for me, I have continued to tithe for more than 25 years. Channing and I have tithed in good times and bad. The friend who stood with me on the Unemployment line promised that this generous practice would free me from financial fear. She was right. I have never experienced financial insecurity since writing that first $12 check.

So if the flow of generosity in your life is blocked, if the pipes are feeling clogged, whether you are in scarcity or plenty, don’t call a plumber, get generous. Be sure to give a portion of what you have away. No one can tell you what that portion should be---that is something you need to discern for yourself, that is between you and God. But be sure that whatever you give is enough to cause you to feel rich and to thereby remember that you are the son or the daughter of a King.