One of my clergy was sharing a conversation with me. One of his laypersons was angry about the health care reform legislation passed by the congress. The pastor, rightly, said that the United Methodist Church has long been an advocate of health care coverage for all. But the layperson persisted: "But doesn't the Bible teach the importance of being frugal?"
I am not sure what the rest of the conversation was. But it was a teaching moment.
I've been thinking a lot about the layperson's question and -- let me say this respectfully--the message running through the Bible is not the importance of being frugal. I say that respectfully--almost wondering if lightning will strike me-- because I was raised by the most frugal -- and most saintly--mother in the world. She would never have considered using aluminum foil or wrapping paper just once. That would have been extravagant. We were more responsible than that! My parents were raised in the Depression and they didn't believe in wasting anything. I value their example.
However wise and prudent the virtue of frugality is, the Bible -- as I understand it--teaches the importance of generosity. I think we have the frugal virtue down pat.
The anxiety and fear generated (or accentuated) by the economic downturn seems to have given Christians amnesia about the importance of generosity...as if generosity (of spirit and money) is an acceptable option for times of abundance but not applicable for times of financial struggle. Where did we get the idea that we were called to be generous only in prosperity? That's not what the Bible teaches.
Jesus explicitly praises sacrificial giving. The widow who gave her mite was, obviously, not living in a time of prosperity. Yet she had a heart for giving to God and she found favor with Jesus in her giving.
It hardly seems fair to me that we would go into Thanksgiving week counting our blessings and then pride our selves on our frugality. Advent begins next week -- where God gave a generous and sacrificial gift of His Son--where Jesus gave up the glories of heaven to be born in Bethlehem. Against that backdrop, our complaining and our fears seem very small indeed.
The virtue of the Christian life is generosity. The time to be generous is all times. The call to be generous is for everyone. This season, as we count our blessings, let us show our gratitude by the generosity of our giving.
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