A Word From Our Lead Pastor: Rev. Vicki Hughes Dear Followers of Christ, Are you generous? After 27 years as a pastor, one of my favorite times in ministry is the hour or two spent gathered with family members to plan the funeral of their loved one who has just died. Lest you think I am a little warped, I will tell you that I often feel the presence of the Holy Spirit powerfully in those moments of remembering, of telling stories, of selecting scripture and hymns. There are two questions I always ask family members about the one who just died. 1. What did he or she love? 2. What adjectives would you use to describe that person? From time to time I briefly ponder the words I would hope someone will use about me at my funeral. One adjective I would like to be used is “generous”. If my funeral were tomorrow, I do not think this word would be used. Maybe a few other nice adjectives, but not generous. Not yet. I haven’t given up, however, on becoming a truly generous person. One of the quirky or paradoxical aspects of this particular virtue is that you can’t pursue it too aggressively or with an “achievement” mindset. For I believe that all generosity begins with God and flows from us to others through the power of the Holy Spirit. True financial generosity is an expression of trust in God to provide us with all that we need, including the means to be generous. The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:8 “and God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” Generosity is a quality of character. It is a virtue which can be grown in us over a lifetime. I make the opportunity each fall when I am preaching about stewardship to personally assess whether I am growing in generosity. I passionately believe that financial giving is a spiritual discipline and that the practice of giving in proportion to our means is an essential component of Christian discipleship. I invite you to join me during the next several weeks in taking stock of what matters most in your life and of prayerfully asking God to help you align your spending and giving with what you believe is most important. It is never too early or too late to ask yourself questions about your ultimate purpose in life and to take steps to ensure that how you handle your financial resources reflects that purpose. Walking with You, Vicki
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 01:05:39 +0000
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