I hope you had the chance to read the letter that the "Generosity Team" mailed out a little bit ago, starting a conversation about what it means to be generous.

Learning to be generous can be a difficult process. Many of us grew up in homes where generosity was not practiced, or if it was, it happened in secret. Some of our families grew up with very little and tended to be protective of whatever we did have, in case the hard times would return. Some saw the accumulation of wealth as evidence of self-worth or success as a person, and believed that giving it away would somehow lessen their own personal value. Whatever the reason, sometimes generosity is just plain hard.

In the spirit of our conversation...

What does true generosity look like? Was generosity evident in your family of origin?

What's the difference between frugality and miserliness? When does prudence become selfishness? When does feeling secure become greed? And what does it mean to say one is a disciple of Jesus and yet shrink away when questions of money arise?

What yardstick do you use to measure your generosity? What kind of giving brings you joy? When do you keep giving, even when it seems difficult? How do you feel when you achieve a giving goal?

Do you feel angry or threatened when someone asks you for money? What would cause you to give more? When you think about your spending, saving and giving priorities, how do you determine which things happen in what order?

How have you or how will you teach your children what it means to give? If your children saw your actions but never heard your words would they get the same message?

God desires an open hand,
not a clenched fist.

How does Jesus talk about our attitudes toward money and possessions? From Matthew 6:

²⁴ 'No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

²⁵ 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?²⁷And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? ²⁸And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin,²⁹yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you-you of little faith?³¹Therefore do not worry, saying, "What will we eat?" or "What will we drink?" or "What will we wear?"...³³But strive first for the kingdom of God and hisrighteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Clearly, Jesus wants us to hold lightly to our money and our things, without worry, and trust that God will see us through. As we consider our generosity, this encouragement from Jesus is a good reminder that everything we have is God's gift to us, and ultimately God desires us to share what we have been given.

Blessings on this journey of generosity,

~ PD

NURTURING FAITH THROUGH THE CELEBRATION OF ADVENT

Make the four weeks of Advent extra special this year by attending the ADVENT EVENT 2011 on Sunday, November 13. Join the Youth &
Household Ministry Team from 11:45 to 2:00 in the Fellowship Hall for a cross-generational introduction to this time of preparation for the coming of Jesus. Come have lunch and visit with other families, learn about Advent traditions (and share your own), make Advent wreaths and Yule logs, and pick up devotional materials to help you teach the faith at home. Bring your family and friends - everyone is welcome to come and celebrate the season.