This e-resource is a ministry of the

Office of the General Secretary ABCUSA

Welcome to the winter issue of GENERO$ITY, an American Baptist e-resource for pastors and church leaders who are involved in the important ministry of "nurturing generous disciples to serve as the hands and feet of Christ."

One of the assumptions I bring to any discussion of stewardship is this:  God's nature is to love and to give.  There are numerous examples in scripture that teach us that God both loves us unconditionally and is generous with us in all ways.  Perhaps it is most directly stated in the familiar words of John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (NRSV, emphasis mine). God's love for us is revealed and personified in the ultimate gift of God's Son, Jesus Christ, so that our understanding of Christian stewardship must be rooted in God's loving and giving nature.

Another assumption I have is this: We are created in God's image and, therefore, our nature is also to love and to give.  I often say that we most fully live into, and out of, our God-designed nature and potential when we love and give generously.  However, in order to be generous in our loving and giving, we must first receive God's love for ourselves.  In Creating a Climate For Giving, Don Joiner writes, "A person cannot be a Christian giver until he or she first becomes a receiver, until he or she receives God's gift."

By the time you receive this, Valentine's Day will be just around the corner.  Some among us will celebrate in lavish ways, perhaps spending more than $116 on special cards and gifts, what the National Retail Federation predicts will be the average amount spent per person.  (In case you are wondering, total spending for the 2011 Valentine's holiday is expected to be in excess of $15 billion.)  Others among us, like myself, will try to find more simple ways to express our love.

You may be fortunate enough to celebrate the Lord's Supper with a faith community in the coming weeks, and if so, you may choose to receive the gifts of bread and cup as God's Valentine for you.  Or, meditate on John's words in I John 4:7-12, or lift your voice in songs of praise.  However you choose to express your love on Valentine's Day, I hope you will take a few moments to ponder, and receive again, God's love for you.