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This month we have been talking about the power of generosity. When we are generous we experience the overflow of joy in our lives. Generosity brings a deep sense of peace and purpose to our lives and when we are generous we are drawn closer to God. Our generosity also opens the door for God’s grace to flow through us into the lives of others. Generosity is truly a powerful force that changes us and those around us, but we often think we can’t be generous because we don’t have a lot to give.
Too often we think that generous gifts are only big and expensive gifts. We think that being generous with our time means giving every extra moment we have or carving out huge chunks of time to give to others. As long as we think generosity only takes place when we give in big ways, we might never step out to be more generous. But generosity doesn’t have to be big gifts of time or money or energy, life changing generosity can also be expressed in small and simple things we might do for others.
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a story about the generosity of the righteous and faithful people who served Him.
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
But the people are confused because they never did any of these things for Jesus.
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
As much as we would have loved to do those things for you Jesus, we never did. We never saw you in need, so we never served you. To which Jesus replies, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:34-40
We are serving Jesus when we give water to someone who is thirsty or food to someone who is hungry. We are caring for Jesus when we help care for those in need. And did you notice that the generosity Jesus highlights aren’t big gifts and large acts? Generosity was expressed in small and simple acts of hospitality. Generosity doesn’t have to be a big act that requires a lot of time, energy, and money. Life changing generosity can be found in small and simple acts of love and service.
People’s lives are forever changed because of simple acts of generosity. Peter, one of the lead disciples who Jesus said would be the foundation of His church, had his life changed by a simple act of generosity. The story is found at the beginning of John’s gospel when people are just beginning to hear about Jesus and experience the power of His teaching, love, and grace. One of the first to meet Jesus was Andrew, Peter’s brother. John 1:40-42
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).
The generous act of Andrew was to simply invite his brother to meet Jesus. From that very first meeting, Jesus knew that Peter was going to be the foundation of all that was going to come, so He changed Simon's name to Cephas, or Peter, which means Rock. Peter would never have met Jesus if it hadn’t been for Andrew.
Andrew’s simple act of inviting his brother to meet Jesus changed the trajectory of Simon’s life. He went from being a fisherman to being a fisher of men and women for God. He became the leader of the Jesus movement after Jesus ascended to heaven, and Peter gave the first sermon of the church that changed the hearts and lives of 3,000 who all placed their faith and trust in Jesus. The generosity of Andrew, inviting his brother to meet Jesus, changed Simon’s life and you might say changed our lives. His generosity changed the world.
Sometimes the most life changing generosity is found in simple acts of love and service. Sometimes the most generous thing we can do is invite people to meet Jesus, welcome people when they come to worship to experience Jesus, or serve people in simple ways. My life forever changed because of a simple invitation.
I had only been at college for a few weeks but was already miserable and wanted to return home. I got a letter from a friend who told me I should check out a group called Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship. Her sister had been part of it at MSU years earlier and she told me it was something like our church youth group. I had just seen a table for IV with some students sharing information so I went back and talked to Gary and Ruth Abbott.
Gary and Ruth were funny, they were caring, and they invited me to the first IV meeting which was that night. It was their genuine care for me and love for God that encouraged me to attend. A simple invitation from three people changed my life. I went to the meeting that night and Gary and Ruth welcomed me again. They introduced me to some students who lived in my dorm complex who helped me feel less alone and begin to form a sense of community.
I quickly got involved in IV. I grew in my faith in ways I had never dreamed were possible. I gave my life to Jesus, committed myself to honoring God with my life and not working to glorify myself or make a lot of money, but to glorify God. My life changed because of an invitation. My life changed because of a welcome. Sometimes the most generous thing we can do is the most simple thing. Invite people to meet Jesus and welcome people into the family of God. What I’d like to do is tell you some stories about simple generosity that has changed people’s lives. These are all true stories.
When I was a pastor in Altoona we had a group of kids that were hanging out on our front steps. They were causing trouble and being loud and so we got complaints from the neighbors. We called the police to see what we could do and they said, Oh yeah, that’s the second and second gang. These were elementary school kids who were already known as a gang.
We decided that instead of running them off, we would open the doors. A few of us gathered with a cooler of soda and a cd player and we sat out on the front steps of the church to meet the gang. The older kids moved to 3rd Ave and 2nd St., but the younger kids started to hang out with us. We invited them into the church and some had never been in a church in their lives. We walked them through the sanctuary, let them sit in the big chairs we had up front and got to know them. That started an afterschool program called the ROCK.
A few years later, a young girl from the neighborhood who had a difficult family situation and attended the ROCK showed up in worship on Sunday. She came in pajama pants, a sweatshirt and big pink fluffy slippers. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but people welcomed her. They reached out and invited her to sit with them. They loved her, and she came back. She joined the youth group. She accepted Jesus. She finished High School, went to college and she rose above her family situation all because of an invitation and a welcome.
I ran into Trisha a few years ago at a wedding and she is married and active in her church. We laughed about the pink slippers, but being welcomed that day changed her life. A simple invitation changed everything.
Here at Faith Church there was a young man who was invited by his Aunt and Uncle to attend worship and one Sunday he joined them. The young man had recently gotten into some trouble and had some unresolved legal issues. None of that mattered to the people here who welcomed him. He returned again and again and was invited to join a Sunday School class. Now I was a little worried because the class that invited him was one of our older adult classes. There was probably a 50 or 60 year age difference between this man and most of the people in that class, but I shouldn’t have been worried, because that class welcomed him and loved him.
The young man came to me later and said he wanted to be baptized and join the church which was great, but he wanted to be immersed. I said I was willing to do it but he had to find the location. It was one of the older members of the class who opened his property, which has a creek, for the baptism. The entire class showed up to watch the baptism of this man’s changed life. A simple welcome and invitation changed the trajectory of this life.
Linda Hoffman shared with me that 46 years ago she showed up here at Faith Church for the first time with a baby in her arms, and a toddler by the hand. She had never been in the building before, but someone who worked with her mom said she should visit. As she walked toward the building, a woman was walking out after Sunday School. This woman saw Linda, introduced herself, and then walked back in with her to show her the nursery. Linda was touched by the generosity of this woman. She recognized that Linda needed help and took the time to come back into the building and help her.
That was 46 years ago and Linda is not only still here but she has been on staff here for most of those years and she has helped share the gospel in countless ways during that time. Many lives have been transformed, and it all started with a simple welcome and invitation from a woman who was willing to stay and return to the building.
Sally McCartney tells a similar story about being in worship when her children were young. A woman started talking with her and said, your hands must be full with your family. How about I bake a cake for you this week so you can enjoy it. This simple act of seeing someone hungry for love and care, and providing a cake, changed everything. Sally said she now is trying to do the same thing, care for people in simple but generous ways. She and her family have also provided the pumpkin pies for the Christmas Day dinner these past few years, so she is passing along the gift of giving dessert to others.
And speaking about our Christmas Day Dinner, several years ago a man who had not been in church for years heard about our Christmas Dinner and was invited to come and help. He came and was amazed to find a group of people giving up part of their Christmas Day to serve people they didn’t know. He was so touched by their generosity of time and love and service that he started to attend worship, and then he joined a small group. A simple invitation and watching people feed those who were hungry changed a man’s life and helped him regain a foundation of faith.
One more story… Another staff person told me that they had a friend who was going through a difficult divorce and some challenging custody issues. He didn’t think his friend would come to church, but he was encouraged to just invite him anyway. This staff person told his friend how much the church had helped him grow in his faith and that maybe it could be a support to him.
His friend came to worship and he brought his son. They kept coming. His friend then joined a Bible study so he could learn more about Jesus and share it with his son. His friend is now scheduled to help lead that study, his first time leading any kind of Bible Study. And do you know why he is leading, because the leader of the Bible Study invited others in the class to lead.
A simple invitation changed this young single dad’s life, and this story is not unique. There are a few other single dads out there (and moms) who have been invited to Faith Church and have come and found hope and community and Jesus.
Sometimes the most generous thing we can do is simply invite someone to meet Jesus in and through the church. Sometimes the life changing act of generosity might simply be saying hi and getting to know the person sitting next to you or behind you today.
I hope that as you have heard these stories that God has placed someone on your heart or in your mind. Is there someone you know who needs an invitation to Jesus? Is there someone you have been thinking about inviting to worship? This is the best time of year to invite someone to church. Whether it is a Sunday morning or one of our Christmas Eve Worship services, people are looking to get reconnected to God in this season. Who can you invite? The invitation might be the generous act that will change someone’s life.
Or maybe the invitation is to serve at our Christmas Dinner. Serving for just an hour or two with others on Christmas Day is an amazing experience that has touched more than one person’s life and energized more than one person’s faith. Being generous doesn’t require a lot of money or time or energy or resources, sometimes it just calls for us to invite someone to Jesus, or reach out to welcome someone in worship, or invite someone to serve with us.
I want to invite you during these next 4 weeks to be generous in all the little ways. Send a plate of cookies to a neighbor. Invite a friend to join you in worship (postcards available). Sign up to help at one of our Christmas Eve worship services so that you can welcome people in Jesus’ name (signups live). Be generous in the little things and let God use them to transform someone’s life. Who knows, the person you invite or welcome might become the next Peter, the next Rock and leader and foundation of God’s church.
Next Steps
Generosity - A Simple Invitation
Read about the simple generosity of Andrew. John 1:40-42
Read about the simple generosity of the righteous. Matthew 25:35-40
How have you experienced generosity in simple things?
Whose invitation to you to meet Jesus helped change your life?
Who can you invite to Jesus and help change their life?
Christmas Eve and Blue Christmas Invite Postcards are available.
● Pray for those God wants YOU to invite to worship.
● Pray for the right time and place to share the invitation.
Volunteer to serve at one of our Christmas Eve Services. Help welcome people to the church. Your welcome may be the simple / generous act that changes someone’s life.
Sign-up to help serve at the Christmas Dinner.
Invite others to join you. Your invitation and service might be the simple / generous act that will change someone’s life. Sign up in the lobby or online.
Information about all our Christmas worship services, Christmas Day Dinner and serving opportunities can be found at bellefontefaith.com.
