For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
“For most youth workers and congregational leaders, the typical question is, How do we get more young people involved in the service project next week or the work camp next summer? While it is important to get young people involved in concrete opportunities to give and serve, a much more fundamental question is, What experiences and relationships do young people need now to form a foundation for a lifetime of generosity?
Ideally, those life-forming experiences should include repeated involvement in service and giving during childhood and adolescence. But nurturing generosity requires a broader perspective, highlighting the importance of connecting youth with caring, generous role models, experiencing a healthy family that is engaged with the world, and experiencing the congregation as a caring, challenging, nurturing community of faith.”
Eugene C. Roehlkepartain, Elanah Dalyah Naftali, and Laura Musegades in Growing Up Generous: Engaging Youth in Living and Serving (Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute, 2000) 93.
Today in Carlsbad, California, we are speaking on generational generosity. I will share my family heritage of the Christian generosity of my great grandparents, grandparents, and parents. Jenni will share intentional experiences we have done to nurture generosity in our family. Sophie will add ways she has learned to live within her means so she can be generous and help her peers along that pathway. What a joy to speak together!
Our aim, as Roehlkepartain, Naftali, and Musegades suggest, is to help the CBMC group see that intentional “experiences” rooted in obedience to the commands of Christ (which are not burdensome but for our good) coupled with “relationships” rooted in humble transparency and authenticity (both in family and church settings) help each generation “form a foundation for a lifetime of generosity.”
What about you? Regardless of the generosity of your ancestors, what experiences can you pursue and relationships can you deepen to help your family and congregation reflect the generosity of Christ to the world? This largely does not happen through doing a few projects. Rather, it takes shape when we do many small things with the love of Christ compelling us, not for ourselves, but collectively for Him.