God's Generous Heart

Beloved in Christ, 

When Chris Anderson took over TED, the now famous global movement of talks that are distributed widely online, it was an in-person conference devoted to ideas around technology entertainment, and design. Early in his tenure, the decision was made to make all the conference talks available for free online. The move was largely criticized as a terrible idea, and thought leaders in the world of business predicted the recklessly generous move would secure a swift end to the conference and the organization. 

Instead, the opposite happened. Attendance at the annual conference grew after the talks were made available for free, and a large network of affiliate TEDx conferences began to emerge all over the world. The TEDx conferences continue to be responsible for some of the most important and widely distributed talks. 

The economics of the world tend to see everything as a zero sum game, where another’s gain must inevitably mean my loss. In this economy, extravagant generosity is often seen as foolishness or weakness. Anderson’s experiences, on the other hand, are a secular example of how things work in the economy of God: we are fed by giving ourselves away. A deep and irrefutable principle of the universe, and a core tenant of God’s economics is this: the more you give, the more you have. 

The gospel lesson for this Sunday, which extends Jesus’ sermon on the plain we started last week, outlines  program for life in this alternate economy: love your enemies. Do not judge. Give, and it will be given to you.

In a world where violence, vengeance, and holding on to what is ours rule the day, generosity is an act of resistance. Giving is a small revolution. 

We are made by a God whose very heart is radical, reckless, foolish generosity. Faith is about asking that our heart is reformed in the image of God’s heart. 

When you are feeling powerless, when you are feeling hopeless, when you wonder what can be done, try giving something away. Buy the coffee for the person behind you, regard the irritating coworker with compassion, pray for an enemy, fund some work of justice in the world. 

God’s project to heal the world with love is about turning our upside down world right side up. The spiritual practice of daily generosity, foolishly considered and recklessly rendered, is an instrument of that project. In days where hateful voices are all around, where fear and inward gazing close us off from each other, pray that God would open our hearts to live with God’s generous abandon, until what passes for wisdom and power is finally and fully swept up into the foolish weakness of God. 

Grace and Peace, 

The Right Rev. Craig Loya