Readings

FIRST LESSON

The first lesson is from “The Second Precept: Generosity” by Thich Nhat Hanh

Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing, and oppression, I undertake to cultivate loving kindness and learn ways to work for the well-being of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I undertake to practice generosity by sharing my time, energy, and material resources with those who are in real need. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others. I will respect the property of others, but I will prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth.

The feeling of generosity and the capacity for being generous are not enough. We also need to express our generosity. We may feel that we don't have the time to make people happy—we say, "Time is money," but time is more than money. Life is for more than using time to make money. Time is for being alive, for sharing joy and happiness with others. The wealthy are often the least able to make others happy. Only those with time can do so.

SECOND LESSON

The second lesson is from the Gospel of John, Chapter 12, verses 1 through 8

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

This Week's Sermon

Date: March 21, 2010

Title: What God Wants: Generosity

Message Delivered By: Rev. Dr. Joe McMurray

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter; the second in the spring; the third in summer; and the youngest in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen. The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent and twisted. The second son said, no, it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed. He said it was laden with blossoms that smelled sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them. He said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right. But they had each seen only one season in the tree’s life. He told them that you could not judge a tree or a person by only one season; and that the essence of who they are, and the pleasure, joy and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end when all the seasons are over.

If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of spring, the beauty of summer, fulfillment of fall. Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don’t judge life by one difficult season.

Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come. Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and leave the rest to God.
_____________________________________________________________

Will you pray with me? God help us to see and celebrate all the seasons of our lives, even those that may not be our best. There is wisdom to be found in every corner of our lives. As we explore our heart’s journey this Lenten season, make clear to us those things you desire—things that will make our lives rich, fulfilling, and meaningful. And may my words and all of our thoughts be filled with honor and praise to you. Amen.

When hearing or reading a particular section of Scripture, it’s often beneficial, if not essential or necessary, to pinpoint the context from which the reading comes in order to fully grasp the meaning of what has just been heard or read. Today’s Scripture from the Gospel of John provides such an example.

Taken by itself, the story of Jesus’ visit to the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary today is certainly meaningful. It stands alone as a testament of faith and generosity in the advent of new challenges that were about to face Jesus, and the complications it brought to his followers and loved ones.

The backdrop of today’s scripture and the events that had most recently transpired are just as vital to the overall message, particularly if our goal is to embrace the full truth of what the Scripture is trying to tell.

So let’s turn back a page or two to recollect the events that unfolded prior this reading. Immediately preceding this dinner hosted by Lazarus and his sisters to honor Jesus had occurred one of the most remarkable miracle stories in all of Scripture: the raising of Lazarus from the tomb.

Jesus called Lazarus, whose body was tied and bound, and who had been dead for three days, to come forth from the tomb where he had been buried to be counted among the living once again.

And now, we find Lazarus, Martha and Mary entertaining Jesus a short time after the miracle occurred. This spectacle provides the backdrop for today’s lesson, when Mary performs an unorthodox ritual that focuses the minds of everyone present to look to the future—an event that would change the lives of millions of people forever.

According to the scriptures, the Lazarus miracle alerted the authorities as to how dangerous Jesus had become and how much trouble and unrest he had caused. It was after the Lazarus miracle that the Pharisees conspired together to seek Jesus’ arrest and have him questioned by the authorities. This deep plot to undermine Jesus and his ministry was hatched because the miracle at Bethany had been so publicly witnessed.

And the new events, the dinner in Jesus’ honor, the unexpected adoration by Mary through a selfless act of humility and grace, became a foreshadowing of events yet to come. As often occurs in the scriptures, the symbolism here is enticing, albeit predictable.

The very home of Lazarus signifies death and resurrection; and soon after this dinner party, Jesus would parallel Mary’s gesture at the last supper by washing the feet of his own disciples in a sign of humility and service. This action was a precursor, then, to the suffering and death Jesus would endure on the cross—the ultimate sacrifice of his life for the world’s salvation.

It’s always been of great interest to me that the persona of Mary has shifted and changed over the centuries, often morphing into one person. The Mary of today’s story is the sister of Martha and Lazarus; yet another evangelist depicts Mary as a sinner, and still another overlays this episode onto the person of Mary Magdalene. So just as other stories in the scriptures—the Garden of Eden, the birth stories of Jesus, etc.—became one grand story, even though different situations, locations, and characters are depicted in each, the same has happened to Mary and her appearance prior to the passion story.

For our purposes, little of this is of much consequence. Our story has a much different focus. The issue at hand is how a woman of little means had been so deeply moved by this prophet in her midst that she gave of herself; she gave something surprising and meaningful to document her regard for Jesus. Our story is about a tremendous offering of thanksgiving, gratitude, hospitality and generosity. This gesture of Mary goes much deeper than the action itself; it was borne out of love and belief.

Mary was overjoyed and stunned that Jesus brought her brother back to life. She was most grateful that she had enjoyed the friendship and devotion of Jesus. She offered her home out of hospitality, inviting many to come and be together in celebration. She expressed her love in the tenderness she showed Jesus.

Mary was generous, not because of the cost of the perfume, but because her action symbolized something deeper—it symbolized faith and belief in Jesus. Jesus made a difference in her life and in the life of her family; just as Jesus would ultimately make a difference in the lives of millions of people.

Judas, meanwhile, hanging back as Judases tend to do, expressed indignation at the extravagance of Mary’s act. Though he appointed himself spokesperson for the poor by reasoning that the money was badly spent, it was also true that Judas, the keeper of the purse and thought to be skimming from it, stood to personally lose from this lavishness. If the money for the perfume had not been spent, it would have been placed in his keeping.

Leave it to the Judases in our midst. We must always beware of those, regardless of their stated intention whether good or bad, who would distract us from our personal calling and our deep-seated desire to, in the words of Thich Nhat Hanh, inject loving kindness into the world. We should beware of those who question our extravagance for good.

There are too many people, again regardless of their intention, who cannot appreciate the generosity of others, though they may consider themselves to be generous. They view themselves in competition for generosity, as if they must be acknowledged in some more influential way than others. In this way, they exhibit clearly that their passion is not in the act of being generous but in the acknowledgment that comes to them as a result of it.

When Judas questioned Mary’s gift (and the gesture that accompanied it), Jesus clearly said to Judas, “The poor you will have with you always, but you shall not always have me.” This was not a slam toward the poor. This was not a back-peddling comment about social justice. This was a remark about Judas’ own lack of faith, and his inability to see the clarity of faith and hospitality that emanated from Mary because of his own need to be noticed and gratified.

We are very fortunate here at MCC. A huge portion of this congregation volunteers its time and energy on an ongoing basis. We hold event after event, some to help the poor, some to offer food to the elderly and homebound, others to raise money to keep our church operating seven days per week. This is very unusual for a church of our size. I exchanged emails with Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson this past week, and she asked about you, about the church and asked me how I thought things were going. I told her about our recent collaboration with AHEC, FKCC and Womankind. She said that though another MCC may have offered an occasional health clinic, she was not aware of another MCC that offered weekly, ongoing care. I hope you are as proud of this as I am. Nancy said she’d like to come visit and see our many programs in progress. And I think she should.
Of course, we are all generous in different ways. But I am struck by the intensity, not only of the volunteers’ desire to serve here, but their desire to recognize that the work they have done is its own ministry; a ministry, by the way, that continues day after day, event after event. And nothing keeps our volunteers from their ministries. They remain passionate, despite the concerns others raise, sometimes, is seems, in an effort to keep them from offering the very generosity they share.

Like those present at the dinner party, some will play the role of Judas, who expressed his displeasure with Mary’s generosity. If our volunteers listened only to the worries and concerns, the warnings and the regrets without listening to the murmur of their own hearts about how they choose to engage—they would probably do less or nothing to contribute, and wouldn’t be the people they are becoming—leaders, ministers, the faithful.

We all come from different backgrounds, ethnic groups, ages, genders, abilities, cultures—and we come with different expectations and gifts. When we offer ourselves as volunteers, we build community, we help the church and those the church serves, and we espouse the values that Jesus modeled: others marvel at the ways we respect one another, the ways we love one another, and the ways we are for and are compassionate to one another.

Last week, we heard the story of the Prodigal Son and his father who forgave him unconditionally despite all the wrongs his son had committed against him. As we saw, that was a definitive story about forgiveness. But it was also a story about generosity.

Many if not most of us, on hearing such a story, would have questioned the wisdom of the father in welcoming his son back without conditions or limitations. Some would have claimed that the father should have exhibited some “tough love” to help his son mature and reinstate his place in his father’s household.

But forgiveness was more important than “tough love” in the story of the Prodigal Son. And something is much bigger in this gospel story. Mary responded because her faith dramatically deepened through Jesus. We don’t know when it happened. It may have been a response to her friendship with Jesus; the impact of his teachings upon her; or because Jesus brought her brother back to life; or perhaps it was just something in the moment.

Truthfully, we don’t know; we just know that it happened. And it was expressed. And we dare not judge it.

Thich Nhat Hanh writes about generosity. His spiritual practice adopts the principle of loving kindness in all his relationships, not simply human relationships, but all of his earthly relationships. He actually practices generosity. In other words, it’s not just something that happens without thought or intention; it’s something he works at and cultivates, as you would cultivate a specific talent or answer a certain calling.

It’s not enough, he says, to feel or to think generosity. But we must express it no matter what it takes.

I know that when we speak of generosity, one of the first things that comes to our minds is money: how much money we have and how much money we should give to our families, to the church, and to other worthy causes.

But generosity is so very much more than money alone. There are many side paths along the road of generosity that have nothing to do with money. As I’ve mentioned, our volunteers who participate in activities and work here at the church are generous through their commitment of time and talent. Whether repairing lights or fans, volunteering for worship, creating space for coffee hour, helping with our fundraisers, making sandwiches for hungry people—it’s all given from a place of generosity.

Most people in this church are not wealthy, but they share from whatever abundance they have in all sorts of ways. Some of us are generous with the wisdom we’ve amassed over the years and serve on the Board or in other leadership roles, helping others to create an easier path when a difficult path presents itself.

There is generosity of spirit and enthusiasm as exhibited every week by Ed and the choir and those who sing joyfully from their hearts, singing the prayers and praises of this church. That excitement and that exuberance are true marks of a generous spirit.

There is the generosity that is given in abundance four days every week when our volunteers prepare and serve meals to those who need those meals to sustain and nurture themselves.

And there is generosity of the heart: giving others the benefit of the doubt; letting go of our cynicism and replacing it with hope; offering love and support instead of fear and sarcasm.

Just as important as the “what” in generosity is the “how.” How do we share our abundance? How do we give of ourselves? Do we give with enthusiasm or from a place of reluctance? It’s important to remember that giving, no matter what it is, is not always done without attachments. For this reason, the “how” is just as important as the “what.” Are we generous—truly generous from the center of our hearts or do we offer just enough of ourselves to give the appearance to others that we are generous?

Next Sunday is Palm Sunday. Our Lenten journey is in the final stretch. I encourage each of us to continue to examine what God wants from us. Can we give without conditions, without competition? Let us ponder not only what we give or how much we give, but how we give it—and the spirit with which it is given. And may we continue to follow where God is leading. Amen.