A recent issue of the periodical Christian Century included this brief yet inspiring story:
GENEROSITY RETURNED:
In 1847 the Choctaw Nation sent $170 to help victims of the Irish famine. The Choctaw had endured their own suffering through the forced migration to Oklahoma. Now the Irish are reciprocating that generosity by contributing to a fund to help the Choctaw and Hopi deal with the COVID-19 crisis. The Irish goal of $1 million was exceeded when the appeal for support took hold in social media.
(Christian Century – June 3, 2020)
A generous gift. A generous gift offered by people who had experienced great suffering. A generous gift offered to people who were experiencing great suffering.
Generations later, another generous gift. Generations later, a generous gift offered by descendants of earlier suffering. Generations later, a generous gift offered to descendants of earlier suffering. Generations later.
There’s a connection between “generosity” and “generations,” an abstract connection rooted in things like etymology and word origins. Yet for the people of Ireland, and the people of the Choctaw and Hopi Nations, that connection is not so abstract. It is the story of the people of their past and the motivation for their actions in this present. It is their lived experience, an experience of generosity remembered from generation to generation.
How will this time be remembered? Generations into the future, will we be remembered for our generous responses to those who are suffering, those who are struggling in the midst of this pandemic? Will our the impact of our generosity reverberate, even generations after we’re gone?
May it be so!
Continue to face COVID in a spirit of generosity, friends… and remember:
Our God is bigger than coronavirus.
Our vision is bigger than coronavirus, too.
We are people blessing people.
We are Wesley Church.
Blessings,
Pastor Candy
Want to know more?
- Learn about our church and its ministries: https://wesleychurch.com/
- Make a gift to support our mission: https://wesleychurch.com/giving-2/
- View our recent messages: https://wesleychurch.com/sermon-message-on-video/
- View previous devotionals: https://wesleychurch.com/pastor-candys-devotionals-2/
