If I came to you and said, I’ll give you a million dollars if you can do the splits by the end of the year… how would you react?

I’ll tell you how: most likely you’d probably start practicing the splits every single day from now until Dec. 31^st, 2022. And I suspect if I actually had a million dollars to give you and if you were serious about winning that money, then you’d probably practice and practice and stretch and stretch until you were able to do the splits and win your prize. And I honestly think if you were committed enough, this is an achievable goal by just about anyone in the congregation. Some of you are thinking… yeah right! But I have faith!

Now… should I say: “I’ll give you a million dollars to become an Olympic grade gymnast by the end of the year…” well, that’s another story.

Why? Because when it comes to being able to do the splits, you really only need to practice your flexibility. In particular, your hip and hamstring flexibility. Every day you could wake up and work your way deeper and deeper and deeper into the exact same split position until finally you’ve accomplished a split.

By contrast, in order to be an Olympic gymnast, you’d need to practice flexibility (yes) and also you’d need to practice cardiovascular endurance, stamina, strength, speed, power, balance, agility, coordination, accuracy and probably a whole host of other gymnastic principles that I don’t even know about. In other words, being an Olympic gymnast is a whole lot more complex than only being flexible.

And the same could be said of the spiritual journey.

If I told you you’ll win a million dollars if you memorized the Gospel of Mark (that’s the shortest of the four Gospels) between now and the end of 2022, I bet you could do it. It would take a lot of practice and a lot of flash cards, but I bet you could likely accomplish it.

But what if I said… you’ll win that pot of money if you achieved Christian Perfection by the end of the year?

It’s not that I think you’re not all capable of achieving holiness of heart and life, but that’s also a pretty lofty goal for a lifelong journey. Why? Because Christian Perfection – the goal of our spiritual journey – much like being an Olympic gymnast includes knowing your Bible, but moves beyond mere memorization to incorporating all of scripture’s principles into your daily life. Principles such as being merciful, moral, kind, compassionate, empathetic, curious, humble, gentle, and loving. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but just goes to show that the spiritual life is complex. In fact, if I can add one more spiritual component to that short list, I’d add the principle of generosity.

That is, practicing a spirit of generosity is a part of the whole of the spiritual life. It’s not the sum total. It’s not the only aspect. Rather generosity is one component of many spiritual components that when healthily developed makes for a well-rounded Christian.

To use this terrible analogy, practicing generosity is like learning to do the splits. It won’t make you an Olympic gymnast, but it will contribute to your gymnastic pursuits.

So this month, I’m asking you to embark on a journey with me. Yes, we’ll be talking about money. But more than money, we’re talking about a specific aspect of our spiritual life, generosity. It’s not the most important aspect, but it’s an aspect nonetheless.

This month in worship you’ll hear from lay-people how their relationship to money has shaped their spiritual journey. And I hope in those testimonies, you’ll hear how we’re all on individual journeys and a corporate journey. You’ll hear how we’re all growing. And ultimately how we, FUMCTC, are setting our sights toward Gracious Generosity… but more on that in weeks to come.

Peace & Blessings,

Rev. Taylor G. Smith