In one of her sermons, Barbara Brown Taylor recalls that when she was little, she liked to stand on her head. She said that doing this allowed her to see things in new ways—trees grew down and building blocks would fall up. She suggests that this kind of reversal is what Jesus taught the disciples in naming blessings; that is, they turned the predictable world upside down. Upside down blessings have a way of capturing our imagination, don’t they?
Christian Smith and Doctoral Candidate Hilary Davidson, both from the University of Notre Dame, wrote a book titled, “The Paradox of Generosity: Giving We Receive, Grasping We Lose.” In it, they write, “By grasping onto what we currently have, we lose out on better goods that we might have gained. In holding onto what we possess, we diminish its long-term value to us.” Generosity, accordingly, is one of these upside down blessings.
The irony of this moves in the direction of what Jesus meant by saying, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” Common understandings of “blessings” suggest that the most dramatic and fortuitous of blessings consist in the beneficial things that come our way. This is understandable, because God has given us a world full of goodness and provision for us to enjoy. While we must guard against the tendency to crave and hoard, or the perversions found in the “Prosperity Gospel”, it is still true that receiving good gifts is a wonderful blessing. But if receiving is good, Jesus would say, giving is better. Jesus’ blessing turns notions of giving and receiving upside down.
We’ll discuss this in service on Sunday, as the sermon is titled, “Coming Full Circle: A Theology of Blessed Generosity.” The sermon flows from Psalm 84, read by Charlie Nelms, and from Acts 20: 32-38, which will be read by Laura Baich. Charlie Nelms will also bring a stewardship testimony. The Chancel Choir, under the direction of Gerry Sousa and accompanied by Ilze Akerbergs, will lead us musically. We’ll, sing, pray and have a time with children.
If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream.