Living Generously

The chapel at Christ Church Cathedral 

Rev. Molly F. James, PhD
Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford, CT
Christ the King, November 26, 2017
Matthew 25: 31-46

May God’s Word be spoken. May God’s Word be heard. May that point us to the living Word who is Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I have a mug which has a picture of a small child and a motivational quote on it entitled “Priorities.” It reads: “A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, the sort of house I lived in, or the size of my bank account, but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.” I could not help but think of this quote when I read the gospel for today. Jesus tells his followers that the defining characteristic of their lives will be how they have cared for those on the margins, those who, like children, can be considered the “least.”

Yet again, as we were a few weeks ago, we are reminded that living a life of faith means living a life that is focused beyond ourselves. It means living a life where we are not focused on our own achievements or how much we might acquire in wealth and resources. It means living a life that is focused on how we might engage in relationship with each other and how we might be able to share our gifts and blessings in a way that enriches the lives of all.

There is a real invitation here for us to think about the ways that we have been too self-centered. Notice how the followers talk to Jesus. They say, “When was it that WE did this for you?” Notice that they still make it about themselves. They make it about what THEY did or did not do. They keep the focus on their own actions more than about helping someone else. They don’t ask Jesus about those who were served, they ask about themselves. They seem to be overly concerned with their own status and standing. How human!

As I think I have mentioned, I consider myself a recovering perfectionist, and so I can so relate to the followers in this passage who want to know exactly where they stand with Jesus. Please, Lord, tell me am I one of the righteous? I find myself quickly going to the place of fearing how I may have fallen short of being righteous. And this text sets us up to be fearful, because it shows us the reward for the righteous and the punishment for those who fail to care for others.

But even if we are behaving in a righteous manner, even if we are being generous with what we have, we need to also pay attention to our motivations. Notice something about the righteous . . . they ask the same question as the unrighteous. They ask when it was that they did these things, because they don’t remember seeing Jesus sick or in prison. Jesus rewards them precisely because they did something good and right for its own sake. They were not paying attention to who they were serving. They just saw someone in need and responded.

That is Church at its best: seeing a need and responding. Whether it be someone who needs food or clothing, someone who needs comfort and care while facing illness or other personal challenge, providing connection to those in prison. Someone who feels lonely and is looking for a community that will accept them as they are. Churches do this. This Church, this Cathedral community, does all these things. We do them because we know that it is the right thing to do. It is not about our own egos, about getting noticed or racking up some kind of personal reward. It is about being generous with what we have - with our material abundance and with the love in our hearts, because that is who we are and who God created us to be.

Someone need only spend a little time in this remarkable community to realize that it is one that exemplifies the life of generosity that the Lord calls us to in our Gospel today. The statistics about how many people have been fed and clothed because of the efforts of our Cathedral community are remarkable. Thousands of lives have been blessed by the generosity of this Cathedral community. Additionally, over the years this community has supported, in a variety of ways, ministry with those in prison and those newly released. And it says right at the top of our bulletins that wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you are welcome here. This is a house of prayer for all people.

If like me, you have some perfectionist tendencies, you can focus too quickly on what is missing or what you have not done. I do hope in this season of stewardship, as we all are reflecting on how we can live even more generous lives, that we are also taking the time to give thanks for myriad of ways in which we are already living beautiful, faithful, generous lives. Yes, we can, and we should, do more. And we can also celebrate all that is already happening.

I hope that in that celebration we will share the stories of this community out in the world. There are so many stories of hope here. Stories that embody our Gospel for today. Stories that tell of faithful people who love God and care for one another. The world needs tho

se stories. The other communities in which we live, work, go to school and volunteer, need our stories. You never know when someone might be seeking a community or seeking out resources for which they are afraid to ask. Our stories of hope and community, our stories of this remarkable Cathedral community might just be what they need to hear.  I might even be so bold as to modify the saying on my motivational mug to say that “the world might be different because I brought a friend to church or I shared a story of my faith community.”

There are many who are in need, in our midst and beyond these walls. May we give thanks for the myriad of ways this community already seeks to meet the needs of the world. And may we also be inspired to be even more bold in the ways in which we live generous and holy lives.

AMEN.