(2 Cor 9:6-14)

6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." 10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 12This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

During a conference on comparative religion, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began by eliminating possibilities. Incarnation, God in human form, was the first one. But they concluded that other religions had different version of gods appearing in human form, so that was out. Resurrection was the second one to be looked at. But again, other religions had accounts of returning from the dead, so out went that one. The debate continued until C. S. Lewis, that great children's writer of the Chronicles of Narnia walked in. "What's the rumpus about?" he asked. Someone replied that the delegates were discussing Christianity's unique contribution among the world religions. Lewis responded " Oh that's easy. It's grace."

After a short discussion the others agreed. The notion of a religion not wanting good behaviour out of us in return for God's acceptance. God's love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. The Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of karma, the Jewish covenant, and the Muslim code of law - each of these offer a way to earn approval. Only Christianity dares to make God's love unconditional.

There is a direct relationship between grace and giving. Now, what I am not saying is that in order to experience God's grace, we must give. That is not where the relationship exists. The relationship exists in the nature of grace. The word itself finds its root meaning in the words favour and gift. So, when we extend favour or when we give to someone, we show grace. When we give, we show grace. God wants us to be as full of grace for others as he is for us.

The full significance of grace is not immediately grasped because it cuts against core tenets of how we live our lives. The cultural assumption that governs our behaviour is that we work, pay and earn. The heart of consumerism is that we earn our money and then something becomes ours by right (we take out what we put in). We do something for someone else and then they owe us a favour in return. people will give to us as we give to them.the people we invite to dinner are the people who have asked us first! How do we cultivate a culture of generosity in a world of commodity? Grace is counter cultural. It is suggesting that there is such a thing as a free lunch.

Grace can appear threatening to people because it does not allow any credit for well-lived lives. There are two ways that a hidden consumerism seeps into our lives together at St Stephens. Some people assume that if things were done in a certain way in the past then they should still be done that way now. If we have done our time then we have the right to keep things as they have been in the past. Some people want their religion to get them a place at the school of their choice. How do we break out of living our lives as if they were a commercial transaction? How do I do my job as your priest? I don't want to offer you freedom from one set of attitudes only to trap you with another.

How do we live generous beautiful grace filled lives? (& what is the role of the church in this?)

How shall we practice a distinctive ethic of humanness in a society massively driven towards an ethic of individualism, social indifference and anti-neighbourliness (Brueggeman 2006:153)?

How can we be a people that abound in grace? - People that practice giving? And so you don't misunderstand me altogether, it is not just about money. The application can also be made to whatever we can give, including time and abilities. Time is when we give of who we are & possessions is when we give of what we own. Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously (2 Cor 9:6).

What does this mean in practice? We generally know that 9 + 7=16 and 25 - 6=19. In God's mathematics, the best way to increase the sum is to subtract from it. Addition comes out of subtraction. You get more by giving it away. Now, that may drive some of the mathematicians mad. But this is how God's system works. To have more, you must give away what you have. To see an increase of blessing, you must willingly let go of what you possess. You only get to keep what you give away

When I ask you to help on the Sunday School rota, or with the coffee or with hospitality after the services, or with the flowers, or visiting people in their homes, I am not asking for this as an act of social conformity to make us better and more worthwhile people. It is an act of resistance against the prevailing social norms and conformities. It is an act of imagination about how we would like the world to be.