What You Give is What You Get
In The Beatles’ song “The End” John Lennon sings, “The love you take is equal to the love you make,” although he would admit later to misquoting Paul McCartney’s original line of “The love you get is equal to the love you give.” Regardless, either version might sound familiar to Beatles’ fans who’d been to church and heard Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7/Luke 6).
Luke 6:38 :: “If you give to others, you will be given a full amount in return. It will be packed down, shaken together, and spilling over into your lap. The way you treat others is the way you will be treated.”
Every major religious tradition says something similar. Hindus and Buddhists call it “Karma,” while Judaism has “Midah k’neged midah” (which means “measure for measure”). These are not the same as legal rulings over human conflict such as “an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth,” but rather a cosmic belief that the divine being, force, or energy in the universe rewards or punishes us based upon our behavior towards others. In all of these traditions, there is a universal “giver” of all things and the expectation that we pay it forward instead of hoarding it for ourselves. Jesus’ words certainly jive with the notion of an initial giver – God – who is the source of all blessings and life, and if you read the Bible without picking up on the notion that we are supposed to be generous to others beyond what our imaginations can even fathom, then I’d invite you to go read it again.
But Jesus’ intent differs slightly, in my opinion. I don’t believe Jesus is pointing us to a vindictive, fickle God whom we control with OUR actions. Earlier in Luke 6:35, Jesus describes God as “good even to people who are thankful and cruel.” What Jesus does differently is demystify “karma” from a mystical force to a practical rule – juxtaposing true discipleship with what the Pharisees were doing, along the way.
In many places, Jesus points out how the Pharisees pray out loud in public and pat their own backs for their generosity and holiness – all while walking by homeless, hurting, and lonely people. They curse and judge, all while not living into the law they profess to be experts at.
In other words, they aren’t generous.
We often think of generosity only as money, but generosity is bred from compassion and encompasses much more of what we can give than just our money (although that is often the hardest thing for us to give away – see Matthew 6:21, 19:24).
- When we GIVE someone the benefit of the doubt – that is Generosity.
- When we GIVE someone grace – that is Generosity.
- When we GIVE someone an opportunity to be loved – that is Generosity.
- When we GIVE someone companionship – that is Generosity.
- When we GIVE someone care – that is Generosity.
None of these things will make God love you anymore, because God’s love is already unconditional.
None of these things will cosmically earn you a better house in heaven or wealth here on earth. Hopefully, you can see that Jesus really doesn’t care about those things.
What they will do is make you friends build strong communities, and train your spirit to see abundance and good in the world.
What they will do is create a neighborhood around you that is stronger for everyone.
What they will do is save people’s lives who have been marginalized or left out.
And all of these outcomes will lead to a better life for you. Because when everyone is doing well, everyone does well.
Generosity is committing our whole self to give like God gives.
Generosity is a response of humility and faithfulness.
Generosity is the end AND beginning of following Jesus.
The closer we get to following Jesus, the more generous we will be. The more generous we are, the more likely we are to share God’s love with others. The more we invite others to journey with us in faith, the more our eyes will be refreshed to explore Jesus all over again.
In one way or another – what you give is what you get.
Peace,
David Lessner
Stewardship Note
Don’t forget to bring your pledge card THIS SUNDAY (February 4) during our One-Church worship that will combine both styles at 11 am. There will be no 8:30 am worship this week, but we will have Small Groups at 9:45 am. Stay for the Chili Cook-Off Lunch after worship!
Pledging is your commitment to move towards generosity and it helps us budget appropriately. If “what we give is what we get” then, in simple words, the amount and quality of ministry depends upon the church’s willingness to fund it. I was thrilled last year with our generosity and I would like to see at least 145 pledges this year to top 144 from last year.
If you would like to pledge online, please click the button below. If you need help with pledging online, contact David Lessner.
