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  • About Us
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    • Adult >
      • Classes and Spiritual Formation Opportunities
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Extravagant Generosity: Sealed by Faith - Luke 19:1-10

11/26/2019

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On his way through Jericho one day, Jesus spots a “wee little man” called Zacchaeus up in a sycamore tree. Zacchaeus is very wealthy, but he is also a tax-collector. Because he is too short to see over the crowds, he climbs a tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus coming down the road.
More importantly, though, is that Jesus has his eyes on Zacchaeus. Jesus sees something in him that others do not. He spots Zacchaeus in the tree and then invites himself over to Zacchaeus’ house for dinner. 
It’s Jesus’ self-invitation, though, that raises the eye-brows of the crowd. Indeed, it is Jesus’ self-invite that “offends” the crowd: “See,” the people grumble, “he is a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Not only does Jesus demonstrate bad manners by making room for himself at Zacchaeus’ home, but he also crosses a shameful-boundary by identifying with a person whose own actions were suspect. All of which is offensive!
But Zacchaeus is also offended by the crowds and its reaction to Jesus. Indeed, Luke tells us that Zacchaeus remains standing during all this, a sign that he has had enough of the crowd’s complaining: he defends himself by standing up to the crowd and by opening his pocketbook (19:7)! It’s as if he is saying: “Take that! I’ll show you. I am going to give half-of my possessions to the poor, and then I am going to pay back anyone I have defrauded four times” (19:8). 
And in a matter of seconds we see generosity being practiced: not as some future financial plan, but as a change of heart. So much so that Jesus himself announces that “salvation has come to this house!” (19:8). Who would have thought? Zacchaeus, tax-collector, transformed into “son of Abraham” (19:9)! Appearances can be deceiving, can’t they? 
It’s another way of saying that we really don’t know how the Spirit is moving among us, do we? Or how the Spirit is touching the person next to me or you, as the Spirit blows where it wills (John 3:8). Look at Zacchaeus! Who would have expected the Spirit to touch him? 
How might the Spirit be moving us to share in a time of generosity, or working in us to change our hearts? How might we, like Zacchaeus, show extravagant generosity? 
Pastor Andy Kinsey
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Extravagant Generosity: Revealed Through Prayer - Genesis 12:1-4

11/19/2019

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When was the last time you prayed?  In a 2017 Barna Research Study, it was found that at the time of the study, 79% of Americans prayed at some point within the last three months. What I found interesting about this list, is what you don’t see.  What is missing from this list? What is not being done in prayer by almost 80% of Americans?  

Giving thanks yes, or LISTENING.  There is no mention of prayer being used as a time to listen to God.  No mention of someone asking, God, “what do you want me to do, how do you want me to live?” and then sitting back and prayerfully listening.  

I guess it shouldn’t surprise us afterall, most prayer tends to be a list of requests or even demands.  Most prayer tends to sound like, “God, what can you do for me or the people I love?” and not “what can I do in gratitude for all you have already done?”  Certainly asking for specific things can be a part of prayer, but the prayer that leads to our best self, the self born in the image and likeness of God to be loving and generous is more about listening than speaking to God.

Think for a moment about the greats of the bible.  People like Moses, Abraham & Sarah, Deborah, Ester, Ruth, David, Daniel, and the men and women of the New Testament: The apostles, Joanna, Rahab. What made these legends of our faith so memorable as to make such a difference in the coming of Jesus and the spreading of God’s goodness, beauty and truth?

It wasn’t their status, nor their wealth, some didn’t have either.  It wasn’t their education, living conditions, physical strength, bloodline,  family honor, or even their unwavering faith, some wavered quite a bit. What they all share is what we call “prayerful willingness.” (The Generosity Challenge p 47).   A quality of character in which a person is willing to listen, to go, to give, and do that which God asks without proof, answers, blueprints, or a money back guarantee. 

They listened to and for God in their midst.  They attuned themselves to the movement of God in their given situations.  They pursued understanding and remained open to what God was doing, not what they were doing or what they wanted or didn’t want. To do that, we need to learn to quiet the noise around us and within us.  We need to learn how to sit with the silence. We need to lean into the unknown, uncomfortable, and the uncertain that surrounds us.  Which is hard to do when some research says our thoughts change every seven seconds! If you don’t believe me, later today, try sitting in silence for 30 - 60 seconds and see how many different ways your mind wanders. 

The mystery, power and beauty of extravagant generosity is that when we realize our original goodness, which is being made for good, and we recognize all that we have been given monetarily, materialistically, and relationally is a gift, provision, blessing, and the very presence of God with us, we can then ask “God, what is it you want me to do with what you have given me?”  When we ask that question, and we are willing to listen and act on what God reveals to us, we are then we have developed prayerful willingness. 

The act and attitude of prayer moves us from acknowledging our blessings to offering them back to God, asking, “God, how would you have me live?”  Prayer courageously asks, “Based on all you have given me, all you have done for me, how can I give back?” 

A word of caution: praying in this way and listening for God’s answer requires courage.  Why? Because God just might give you an answer.

Pastor Jenothy Irvine 



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Extravagant Generosity: Grounded in Gratitude - Luke 17:11-19

11/13/2019

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In the Gospel of Luke, we read about Jesus and ten lepers who are cleansed, but only one returns to show gratitude, to say “Thank you.”
It is truly an important event as barriers are being broken between Samaritans and Jews, as well as between the clean and the unclean. But it is also an event where only one person receives salvation. Indeed, the whole story reminds us that there is more than cleansing taking place here, and that there is a connection between gratitude and salvation, or between gratitude and being made whole (Luke 17:19).

For that’s what salvation means: it means being made whole, or being made well. The Greek word for salvation means wholeness; and wholeness not just in the physical sense but in the communal sense as well, for when we read the text we read how not even the lepers were going to get close to Jesus. They couldn’t. They all had to keep their distance, as they were considered unclean by Jewish law (Luke 17:14). To return into the fellowship of the community they had to go to a priest to receive purification and once they did that they could worship and fellowship with others again. 

And that’s exactly what they did. They all went to the priests, and they all were cleansed (17:15). But only one returned to give thanks. Why? 

We don’t know. It could be that they had parents who didn’t teach them manners. Or maybe they simply had other commitments. Or maybe they were too busy and simply forgot. All Jesus simply told them to do was to go to the priests. He didn’t say anything about returning to him. They were certainly not required to do so. Once cleansed they could return to the life of the community and do what they wanted.

And yet, it is in the returning of the one Samaritan-leper that the story takes a twist, for here Jesus offers salvation to someone whose identity excluded him on three-fronts: first, he was a Samaritan, second, he was a leper, and third, he was a foreigner. If there was a person we would least expect to show gratitude, or if there was a person we might not expect to receive salvation, it was a Samaritan-leper-foreigner. 
But isn’t that like Jesus to surprise us, showing us how it is typically the least likely person to accomplish God’s purposes? Isn’t that how Jesus operates?

How may we allow God to use us this week to share words of gratitude? How may we take time and express gratitude to others? Let us know what you plan to do. We are praying for you.
​
With gratitude,
Pastor Andy
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Extravagant Generosity: Born to be Generous - Mark 10:17-27

11/5/2019

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Generosity Lesson 1: She had a stern face but sad eyes and her body language told anyone listening to watch out.  She was one of 6 or 7 kids in the family and on the tail end of birth order by the looks of her hand me down clothes and worn out shoes.  The weather started changing, getting colder, and I noticed her shoes had holes in the toes. First year teachers don’t make much but I went to our local shoe store with the intent of buying some off brand, inexpensive shoes for her.  Of course none of those were on sale, or they didn’t have her size, or they simply sold out. I ended up paying more and buying the brand name shoes. The smile that broke across that stern little face said it all. It wasn’t about the money, it was about a little girl who needed to feel seen, known and important enough for a new pair of shoes and not leftovers. 

Generosity Lesson 2: She had 5 kids of her own.  Countless foster kids. The occasional kid or two from family members that needed a place to stay.  And on top of all that, one never knew what or who mom was going to bring home from the jail. She was known to bring home the stray cat or dog that was dumped by the river near the jail or left at the doors of the building.  She was also known to bring home an occasional inmate that was in process of being transferred or had just been released and needed a safe place to stay for a night or two. I don’t know how it all worked, but there was always enough spaghetti to go around, hot dogs or hamburgers to fill your plate, veggies from the garden and milk in the fridge.  And if that didn’t do it, there was always, always, a jar of peanut butter, some jelly and a loaf of bread on the table. I can’t imagine what my parents grocery bill was, but I learned from mom, it was never about the money, it was about making sure that those who society often discarded (human or animal) were given some love and acceptance before they walked back out the door. 

What did these experiences teach me? 
 Answer: Extravagant generosity is not a money issue, it is a heart issue.
A hard lesson for anyone to learn, but especially a person of wealth and status.  In Mark’s gospel, we read of a man known only as the “Rich Young Ruler.” And rich he was according to society’s standards.  He had wealth, possessions, status, influence, and power. He worked hard and made a name for himself and he was a good man. He followed the rules, obeyed the law, and believed in God. Yet, with all that he had, he felt like something was missing and he asked Jesus, “is there something else I must do to follow you?”  Jesus looked at him with great love and then told him, “sell everything, give the money to the poor, and come follow me.” (Mark 1017-27) Could you do what Jesus asked? Neither could the Rich Man and he walked away devastated.

It doesn’t take long to see we, like the Rich Man, like our stuff too!  We have lots of things and stuff and then we buy stuff to put our stuff in and then we get a storage unit to put the stuff we put our stuff in for safe keeping.  We like having stuff and we don’t like to give it up. We earned it, worked for it, own it, and it’s ours. The crazy sad thing is however, that we are no more satisfied with our extra stuff than we were without it.  In fact, research says we are less happy, less productive at work, and less content in our relationships. The more stuff we have the more unhappy we become.

Why?  Because we were born for something different.  Something better. We were born not to consume, buy up and take on more.  We were born to give, share, and let go.

Genesis 1 tells us that humankind was created in the image and likeness of God.  John 3:16 tells us that the image and likeness of God is love and generosity. “For God so loved the world that he gave…”  Doesn’t it stand to reason then that we were born in the image and likeness of a loving and generous God therefore we were born to embody love and generosity in the living of our lives?  

Generosity is not about giving up your possessions, status, or your wealth.  It is about giving up control; the need to control our stuff and the control our stuff has over us.

​
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Grace United Methodist Church
1300 E Adams Dr,
Franklin, IN 46131

Phone: 317-736-7962
grace@franklingrace.org

Weekend  Worship Services
Saturday: 5:30pm 
Sunday: 9:00am & 11:00am

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