Generosity

Rebecca Sheridan
Sunday, September 21, 2025
Luke 16:1-13

    Almost 25 years ago, Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California came out with a book that some of you probably read or studied as a group called The Purpose Driven Life.  I was part of a Bible study in college that worked through the book, and it’s a book that still has made a big impact for Christians globally still today.  What you may not know is that because his income increased so dramatically after the success of these books, Pastor Warren and his wife began to think about money differently.  Instead of looking at success as making money as the end goal, they began to ask how they might make an impact by giving more of their wealth away.  They came to the conclusion that they would strive for a “reverse tithe,” which basically means instead of giving away 10% of his income, he gave 90% away, because his family could very comfortably live on 10%.  He didn’t just stop there; he stopped taking a salary from his church (I’m sorry I’m not at that point yet, as you’ll see in our proposed budget today folks!), and he has at this point now repaid 25 years he had been paid by the church.  He has inspired many wealthy Christians to strive to do similarly, not just stopping at 10% as the “rule” of what the Bible teaches in terms of financial giving, but to be even more generous.

    It’s important to recognize a few things about Pastor Warren’s story:  1) he and his wife didn’t jump from tithing or giving 10% of their income to giving away 90% of their income in an instant. They steadily increased their giving one percentage at a time for many years.  2) As a pastor, he recognized the call from God in the Bible, like in our readings about wealth for today, that “success” in God’s eyes is not material wealth, but in fact, God wants us to try to break the cycle of materialism to generously care for those in need. When I think of generous people, I think of both people I know and inspiring examples of famous people who challenge me to be more generous, also.

    So, what does it mean to be generous as followers of Jesus?  What is the kind of relationship God would like us to have with our money, especially as we wrestle with Jesus’ parable and his words about serving God and wealth today?  Last Sunday, it was a joy to preach on some of my favorite parables of Jesus.  Ugh, today, is one of my least favorite!  It is a confusing story, and because our economy is very different from the first-century economy of Jesus’ day, even Bible commentators I consulted to prepare for this week said “we don’t know enough about ancient economic practices to definitively say what Jesus’ point is, here.”  OK, that is not super helpful.
It’s fair to say that the dishonest manager is at the other end of the spectrum of generosity from Pastor Warren.  Jesus is not lifting up the dishonest manager as a positive example, but seems to be saying, if a guy can forgive debts for selfish reasons, how much more can children of the light who want to have a healthy relationship with their wealth live faithfully.  The manager is not the owner.  This is a basic principle of Christian stewardship and generosity – everything we have comes from God as a gift, including “our” money.  “Our” money is on loan to us from God.  What would God say about the ways we are using his money that is in our banking accounts?  

    Most of us live somewhere in the middle between the dishonest manager and giving 90% of our income away like Pastor Warren.  As he does often in the gospels, Jesus paints a realistic picture of how difficult it is for us to actually have a healthy relationship with wealth.  We live in a messy world with hard choices to make when it comes to money.  Unless we are planning to go live off of the grid, we participate in the economy, and our relationship to God and money is flawed, maybe even dishonest like the guy in the parable.  Our investments may support companies with business practices or values that contradict our values.  Often in the supermarket, we have to make difficult, imperfect choices between buying the cheapest products or the healthier or more ethical option.  We may struggle with student loan debt, credit card debt, medical debt, or are trying to balance caring for aging parents while sending kids to college all at the same time.  Jesus calls us to faithfulness here, while recognizing the pervasiveness of “dishonest wealth.”  

    I hear today’s gospel reading as both a challenge and a recognition from Jesus that the pull to put wealth over God in our world still today is a daily struggle.  So, perhaps striving to be more generous and faithful with our wealth starts like Pastor Warren and his wife, one percentage or conscious step at a time.  Jesus says today, “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much.”  Most of us will not become bestselling authors, win the lottery, become a social media influencer, or even get a pay raise this year – when you have more to give, it is perhaps easier to be generous with money.  When you are trying to simply pay the bills and maybe have a little bit over to save for college and retirement, it’s difficult to imagine tithing much less giving more than 10% away.  Pastor Fred Craddock encourages the “ordinary” less wealthy Christian that generosity may look like faithfulness in little things – feeding a neighbor’s cat while they’re away, teaching Sunday School, buying extra food for the food pantry, or writing a note to someone you haven’t seen in church for awhile.  The small steps we take to be generous with our time, talents, and treasure matter.  We may be starting small when it comes to generosity, but we can start somewhere.

    Our second reading from 1 Timothy encourages us that no matter how generous we may be able to be, God is even more generous.  “Christ Jesus gave himself a ransom for all,” we heard in verse 6.  “Ransom” is a money word. On the cross, Jesus pays a debt none of us can pay.  He gives the very gift of himself – for all. If the owner is able to forgive the dishonest manager for squandering his property as in the parable, how much more so does God’s generous forgiveness extend to those who have faith in Christ, who strive to put God above everything else including money?  One step at a time, let us be faithful in a little as children of the light.  If we can be faithful with a little, God will help us grow in faithfulness and generosity with more.  And looking to the one on the cross who gives us his all, may Christ empower us to be generous stewards so that the gift keeps on giving!  Amen.