generosity

God - "You have cheated me."

Malachi was written to Judah, post-Babylon.  It was written to rebuke the nation for their failure to give God what was God's due.  This sermon concludes with the question of when we, too, can be guilty of robbing God.

A Day in Cana

This sermon is John's account of the first recorded miracle of Christ, the changing of water into wine.  This event introduces readers to the idea of God's mind-blowing generosity and gives us a model of how to live in our world as disciples of Jesus.

Excel In This Grace Also

This sermon comes from 2 Corinthians 8:6-15 and takes its title from Paul's instruction to the Corinthian church to give attention to the grace of generosity.  The sermon challenges the too common belief that we live in scarcity rather than abundance.  This belief turns us into hoarders and stingy people.

What do you care about?

The text for this sermon comes from Amos 6:1-7.  In this text Amos condemn the people of Judah because of their greed and self-centeredness leading to the mistreatment of people who were poor, sick, or disenfranchised.  The sermon looks at how the sins of our current age are similar to those of ancient Judah and also at what a new way of living would look.

Generosity

Paul wrote the little, twenty-five verse of Philemon to a slave-owner.  Paul was sending escaped slave, Onesimus, back to his owner, and Paul wrote to persuade Philemon to receive Onesimus back as a newly converted brother in Christ.  The letter is an excellent look at Christian accountability, conversion, and generosity.c  

Turning On A Switch

This sermon takes a look at the subject of gratitude.  In light of the fact that Thanksgiving Day is less than one week away, it is good to remember the importance of being thankful and what a thankless society looks like.

You do the same thing.

This sermon is taken from Luke 10:25-37 and is the story of the Good Samaritan.  The principle question of this parable is "who is my neighbor" and how should I treat him/her. This is the second in a 4-part series on the Parables of Jesus.

A Wealth of Generosity

This sermon takes its text from 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 and focuses on the exemplary generosity of the Macedonians (people who lived north of Greece).  Paul says that despite conditions which he described as "severe," "ordeal," "affliction," and "obligation," they were generous with what little they had and actually begged for the opportunity to participate in the contribution.  The sermon discusses four lesson that can be gained from the Macedonian example.