Spring highlights nature’s generosity. Or, rather, God’s generosity through nature, as the harshness and hiddenness of winter give way to the abundance of spring's flora and fauna before the dryness of summer and the fall of autumn. Spring celebrates beauty, excess and liberality. If one poppy is beautiful, why not one hundred or one thousand? Spring is an annual reminder through nature of God’s abundant goodness and generosity toward all he has made, including and especially you and me – and even our neighbors, who we may or may not appreciate. As the scripture affirms, the rain falls “on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45).
The word "generous" shares the same root as "genesis," referring to "birth" and "beginnings." Its earliest usage dates to the 16th century, when it was used to describe someone of noble birth or high-born qualities. By the 17th century, however, to be generous came to refer not to one’s bloodline, but to the virtues of liberality and unselfishness that were assumed to be a part of a noble man or woman’s character. In education, students were instructed in the “liberal arts,” that is, the literature and activities that would inculcate and inspire a liberal, generous or giving spirit and attitude toward others and equip them with the skills and insights to work successfully for the common good in their families, in business and in government.
At its genesis, the United States was founded upon the liberal values of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Though improperly employed even in the beginning, as those liberal virtues were not afforded to women, blacks or indigenous peoples, the ideals were there and formed a foundation that could be built upon over the decades through debate and experimentation. And it was implied in those initial concepts that, at least to a certain degree, my life, liberty and happiness were dependent on yours. In other words, generosity and liberality toward one another helped ensure them for all.
As America gained its independence and grew rapidly into a world power and then the ultimate superpower, what has set us apart from other world powers of our day and throughout history, despite our many faults, has been our generosity. The United States, over the past many decades, has been willing to open its borders to throngs of refugees and asylum seekers fleeing war, famine and natural disasters, has been the first on the scene with various forms of aid and relief at the sites of natural disasters across the globe and has stood side by side with our allies to fight illegitimate and illiberal regimes.
In his gospel, Luke records this saying of Jesus:
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (Luke 6:38).
As we know, Jesus didn’t just teach generosity; he lived it, ultimately giving his life freely for us on the cross. And the writer of Hebrews says this about the liberal sacrifice of Jesus:
For the joy set before him, he endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2).
Jesus was generous, even with his very life, not out of obligation or duty, but for the joy of seeing you and me and all of creation redeemed from the power of sin and restored to the life we were created for with God, each other and the earth.
In light of Jesus’ words and example, and the principles that our country was founded upon, it is concerning that much of the political rhetoric and actual policy decisions being made today favor contraction more than expansion in the sense of closing in on ourselves, rather than maintaining an open and generous stance toward each other and our neighbors, be they across the street or across a border.
Each family, city and country certainly has an obligation to look after, and to some extent prioritize, the care and protection of their own. But an inordinate “me first” or “America first” attitude denies our core ideals as Americans and ignores the example and commands of our Lord as Christians.
Jesus pointedly said that he came “not to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). And the Apostle Paul, in urging us to follow Christ’s example, declares, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” (Philippians 2:3).
Noted historian and author Tom Holland, in his book Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World, argues persuasively that the teachings of Christ and the implementation of those teachings by his earliest disciples and those who followed in the first several centuries after his death and resurrection, brought about a revolution in the way the common person and government leaders viewed God, themselves and each other. The exclusively Christian picture of God as one who has suffered with and for his creation through the generous gift of himself through his son was nothing less than revolutionary; a revolution that became the foundation of the Western world and continues to influence families, communities and governments to this day, whether we realize it or not.
The Apostle John says in his first letter that “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16). One of the key markers of God's love is his persistent and lavish generosity. There are two accounts in the gospels of Jesus feeding large crowds of people with just a few pieces of bread and a couple of fish. In both accounts, the meager meal is miraculously multiplied to feed thousands, with enough food not just to tide them over until they could make it home to prepare a proper meal, but also enough bread and fish to fill them up, with heaps of leftovers collected by the disciples in both stories.
This is our legacy as followers of Christ. And it is the command of Christ as recorded in John’s gospel, where Jesus says,
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another,” (John 13:34-35, NIV).
A life marked by generous love is the command of Christ and the foundation of Western Society, influenced by Christ’s teaching, however imperfectly it gets worked out at the governmental level. At the personal level, the words of my grandpa Archer – a faithful man and a fine preacher – ring in my ears often when I’m tempted to be stingy: “You can’t outgive God!” The truth of that statement is both obvious and profound. And while we pray and hope for a return to openness and generosity at the national and international level, nothing can hinder us but our own insecurities and anxieties from worshipping and working together generously For the Glory of God and the Good of Our Neighbors Near and Far right now. May our kindness and generosity proliferate like poppies!
—Pastor Scott