This week begins our annual Stewardship Campaign here at Aldersgate. I can hear the cheers from here. There are those who argue that a church shouldn’t need a Stewardship Campaign. Because Stewardship is one of those things that we ought to talk about all the time. Giving should be foremost on our minds and hearts all year round. Which means that we wouldn’t need to stop every fall and remind folks that it takes money to run the church.
I prefer to talk, at least in worship, about our need to give. Followers of Christ know the joy of giving, are expressing their faith when they give just as much as when they read the bible or pray or serve or any other act we perform because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our sense of generosity is as much a part of our Christian witness as our compassion and our faithfulness. Which is why the theme for this campaign and our worship series is “All Good Gifts: Living a Life of Generosity.” And we will explore the roots of generosity and the joys of living generously these three weeks.
But I wanted to do something completely different in this space. All right, all you Monty Python fans, repeat with me: “And now for something completely different!” Thank you, that was fun, wasn’t it?
Seriously though, what I want to do is to talk about translation. I hear moaning. Be patient with me for a moment. I think it is important. We need reminders from time to time that the bible that we have is both the inspired Word of God and the product of many human minds and hands. That means that the work of understanding is an every changing one, a task we can never claim is completed.
Let me be clear, however, I’m not suggesting that the Word changes. God’s Word is eternal, true yesterday, today and tomorrow. But everything else does change! The world changes, language changes, we change.
In our own lives we bear witness to this shifting understanding. You studied the bible when you were young. Well, some did more than others. But I would suspect that how you heard those stories as a child are different than how you would hear them today. The Word is the same, but you are different and therefore hear and need to hear different things.
So, we are always engaged in the process of understanding, wrestling with a text to figure out just what the Word needs me to hear right now. It is an active process. We engage with the word. It isn’t a fixed understanding that we have to puzzle out. It is a fluid process. The Letter to the Hebrews says that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 Surely your thoughts and intentions have changed from when you were a child. So the dynamic of hearing and understanding, or being understood by the Word is on-going.
Let’s take a look at the scripture that I chose to help us grasp the biblical concept of generosity. It is from Psalm 112.
Psalm 112:1-10 Praise the LORD! Happy are those who fear the LORD, who greatly delight in his commandments. 2 Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. 4 They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous. 5 It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice. 6 For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever. 7 They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the LORD. 8 Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. 9 They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor. 10 The wicked see it and are angry; they gnash their teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.
It is well with those who deal generously ... A good “proverbial” statement from this “wisdom psalm.” Indeed it reads like many of the Proverbs. Such as “Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor” Proverbs 22:9 or “Some give freely, yet grow all the richer; others withhold what is due, and only suffer want. 25 A generous person will be enriched, and one who gives water will get water.” Proverbs 11:24-25. These are wisdom sayings, which may be counter-intuitive to us (Give to get richer, hoard to become poorer), but are nonetheless a part of the wisdom of the Word.
All of which is worthy of our attention. I could stop there, or preach that and be satisfied. Present it as a good idea. Something to think about. But there is something more here, something deeper. And it only becomes visible when you take another look at this passage. This time I want us to use the lens that Eugene Peterson gave us when he presented his translation/paraphrase called The Message.
Hallelujah! Blessed man, blessed woman, who fear God, / Who cherish and relish his commandments,
/ Their children robust on the earth, / And the homes of the upright—how blessed! / Their houses brim with wealth / And a generosity that never runs dry. / Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people— / God's grace and mercy and justice! / The good person is generous and lends lavishly; / No shuffling or stumbling around for this one, / But a sterling and solid and lasting reputation. / Unfazed by rumor and gossip, / Heart ready, trusting in God, / Spirit firm, unperturbed, / Ever blessed, relaxed among enemies, / They lavish gifts on the poor— / A generosity that goes on, and on, and on. / An honored life! A beautiful life! / Someone wicked takes one look and rages, / Blusters away but ends up speechless. / There's nothing to the dreams of the wicked. Nothing.
The New Revised Version uses the word “generosity” once. Peterson finds it three times. How can that be? Which one is right? Well, they both are. The NRSV says, in verse 3: Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. The Message says: Their houses brim with wealth / And a generosity that never runs dry.
Same word. Same thought. Righteousness, which is an attribute of God, is being faithful to relationships. It is pouring out, it is mutuality in love and life. In other words, it is generosity. We are called to live a life of righteousness. In our heads that means living by the rules, it means inflexibility, it means rigor and effort and denial and slavish obedience. But, what if instead we understood righteousness to mean the God-like tendency to give grace and mercy? What if we took Jesus at his word and were willing to forgive endlessly, and to give joyfully? Might we come closer to our goal of being like Christ?
In other words, it is not our generosity, but God’s that motivates us. It is not our grace, but God’s that fills us and comes out from us. It is not our righteousness, But God’s that directs us. That’s worth saying again. And again. And again.
Shalom,
Derek
I prefer to talk, at least in worship, about our need to give. Followers of Christ know the joy of giving, are expressing their faith when they give just as much as when they read the bible or pray or serve or any other act we perform because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our sense of generosity is as much a part of our Christian witness as our compassion and our faithfulness. Which is why the theme for this campaign and our worship series is “All Good Gifts: Living a Life of Generosity.” And we will explore the roots of generosity and the joys of living generously these three weeks.
But I wanted to do something completely different in this space. All right, all you Monty Python fans, repeat with me: “And now for something completely different!” Thank you, that was fun, wasn’t it?
Seriously though, what I want to do is to talk about translation. I hear moaning. Be patient with me for a moment. I think it is important. We need reminders from time to time that the bible that we have is both the inspired Word of God and the product of many human minds and hands. That means that the work of understanding is an every changing one, a task we can never claim is completed.
Let me be clear, however, I’m not suggesting that the Word changes. God’s Word is eternal, true yesterday, today and tomorrow. But everything else does change! The world changes, language changes, we change.
In our own lives we bear witness to this shifting understanding. You studied the bible when you were young. Well, some did more than others. But I would suspect that how you heard those stories as a child are different than how you would hear them today. The Word is the same, but you are different and therefore hear and need to hear different things.
So, we are always engaged in the process of understanding, wrestling with a text to figure out just what the Word needs me to hear right now. It is an active process. We engage with the word. It isn’t a fixed understanding that we have to puzzle out. It is a fluid process. The Letter to the Hebrews says that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 Surely your thoughts and intentions have changed from when you were a child. So the dynamic of hearing and understanding, or being understood by the Word is on-going.
Let’s take a look at the scripture that I chose to help us grasp the biblical concept of generosity. It is from Psalm 112.
Psalm 112:1-10 Praise the LORD! Happy are those who fear the LORD, who greatly delight in his commandments. 2 Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. 4 They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous. 5 It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice. 6 For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever. 7 They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the LORD. 8 Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. 9 They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor. 10 The wicked see it and are angry; they gnash their teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.
It is well with those who deal generously ... A good “proverbial” statement from this “wisdom psalm.” Indeed it reads like many of the Proverbs. Such as “Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor” Proverbs 22:9 or “Some give freely, yet grow all the richer; others withhold what is due, and only suffer want. 25 A generous person will be enriched, and one who gives water will get water.” Proverbs 11:24-25. These are wisdom sayings, which may be counter-intuitive to us (Give to get richer, hoard to become poorer), but are nonetheless a part of the wisdom of the Word.
All of which is worthy of our attention. I could stop there, or preach that and be satisfied. Present it as a good idea. Something to think about. But there is something more here, something deeper. And it only becomes visible when you take another look at this passage. This time I want us to use the lens that Eugene Peterson gave us when he presented his translation/paraphrase called The Message.
Hallelujah! Blessed man, blessed woman, who fear God, / Who cherish and relish his commandments,
/ Their children robust on the earth, / And the homes of the upright—how blessed! / Their houses brim with wealth / And a generosity that never runs dry. / Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people— / God's grace and mercy and justice! / The good person is generous and lends lavishly; / No shuffling or stumbling around for this one, / But a sterling and solid and lasting reputation. / Unfazed by rumor and gossip, / Heart ready, trusting in God, / Spirit firm, unperturbed, / Ever blessed, relaxed among enemies, / They lavish gifts on the poor— / A generosity that goes on, and on, and on. / An honored life! A beautiful life! / Someone wicked takes one look and rages, / Blusters away but ends up speechless. / There's nothing to the dreams of the wicked. Nothing.
The New Revised Version uses the word “generosity” once. Peterson finds it three times. How can that be? Which one is right? Well, they both are. The NRSV says, in verse 3: Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. The Message says: Their houses brim with wealth / And a generosity that never runs dry.
Same word. Same thought. Righteousness, which is an attribute of God, is being faithful to relationships. It is pouring out, it is mutuality in love and life. In other words, it is generosity. We are called to live a life of righteousness. In our heads that means living by the rules, it means inflexibility, it means rigor and effort and denial and slavish obedience. But, what if instead we understood righteousness to mean the God-like tendency to give grace and mercy? What if we took Jesus at his word and were willing to forgive endlessly, and to give joyfully? Might we come closer to our goal of being like Christ?
In other words, it is not our generosity, but God’s that motivates us. It is not our grace, but God’s that fills us and comes out from us. It is not our righteousness, But God’s that directs us. That’s worth saying again. And again. And again.
Shalom,
Derek
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