The season of Thanksgiving in the U.S. invites us to reflect on the theme of generosity.
Generosity was central in the teachings of the Hindu saint and prophet Mahatma Gandhi.
He taught, “Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion.” He also instructed, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
I was reminded that generosity is a central value in most of the world’s religions on the first Sunday of this month when I joined with Rabbi Dan Goldblatt from Danville, California, in officiating a beautiful garden wedding in the shade of a 200-year-old Bay Laurel tree.
Rabbi Dan is a person of a generous heart and spirit. As he spoke to the couple, he invited them to encircle themselves in the generous spirit at the heart of both Judaism and Christianity.
He assured them that caring, compassion, commitment and creativity would help them find peace as individuals and as a family, as well as help them bring peace to the world. I heard him say that generosity will help heal a broken world.
Generosity is a central tenet of Islam. Sahih Al-Bukhari tells the story of the day the Prophet Muhammed offered prayer in the mosque and then hurriedly went to his house and returned immediately.
A companion asked why he left, and he replied, “I left a piece of gold at home which was given for charity, and I disliked letting it remain a night in my house, so I brought it to the mosque to distribute.”
Faith in a generous God is made known through the generous people of God.
November is Native American Heritage Month. In this month, we do well to remember that in the religious traditions of many of the First Nations, the world we live in is a gift from a generous Creator and that we, in turn, are to be generous to the earth and all its people.
The Iroquois Confederacy had a philosophy called the Seventh Generation that “mandates that tribal decision-makers consider the effects of their actions and decisions for descendants seven generations into the future.”
Generosity matters in many of the parables that Jesus told. The Good Samaritan was generous. The father in the story of the Prodigal Son was generous. In his teaching and healing, Jesus portrayed a generous God.
In two of the most well-known events of his life, Jesus responds by praising generous women and holding them up as examples for us to follow.
One woman anointed him with expensive oil to the disgust of many onlookers who did not understand the significance of her act.
Another woman gave two small copper coins (all she had) to the Temple, in stark contrast to the powerful of the day who were not ashamed of taking all from widows, orphans and foreigners.
Since most faith traditions emphasize generosity, it is discouraging to note that a recent study by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy shows that the percentage of US households giving to charity is declining.
It seems that we have work to do if generosity is to be more than a nostalgic exercise of autumn.
Senior pastor of Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church in Oakland, California, since 1989, and a board member of BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty).
