Redefining Purpose: Lessons on Generosity and Inclusivity from the Gospel of Luke

Can generosity and inclusivity truly redefine your purpose in life? We promise that by listening to this episode, you'll uncover how the profound teachings from the Gospel of Luke can guide you toward a life of purpose centered around these principles. We focus on Jesus' mission challenging us to step out in faith, embrace our unique callings, and find strength in the Holy Spirit. By examining how ordinary individuals can achieve extraordinary feats, we emphasize that our purpose isn't rooted in perfection but in our willingness to respond to a divine call. Building on last week's insights, we turn to Luke chapter 7, exploring how the narrative of the Roman centurion showcases the transformative power of faith, humility, and breaking societal barriers.

In this narrative, the centurion's faith and generosity serve as a timeless model, transcending ethnic and social boundaries, and exemplifying a heart aligned with God's vision. Despite being an outsider, his actions—such as constructing a synagogue and caring for his servant—demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity and compassion. We also explore how these themes are relevant today, encouraging us to reflect on how we use our resources to foster community inclusivity and reflect Christ's love. As we challenge societal norms and barriers, the Madison Church community is urged to lead grassroots efforts, using power and privilege for healing and positive change. Join us in discussing how embodying these values can transform our communities and align us with a vision of a more inclusive and loving society.

Chapters

• 0:00 Finding Purpose Through Generosity and Inclusivity
• 11:16 Centurion's Model of Faith and Generosity
• 25:20 Reflecting Christ's Love Through Generosity

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

I'm Stephen Feith, lead pastor, and we're glad that you're joining us today. We are in part four of a series, our third segment of a series going word by word through Luke, and we're talking about finding your place and purpose, because I know for a great deal, a great many of us, those are kind of some of the questions throughout life. We're always asking whether we become new parents or new graduates and new relationships, new church, whatever it might be, we find ourselves asking do I belong here and why am I here? And so in this series we've been kind of answering those questions through Luke's study of Jesus. And so we began in week one talking about how Jesus, in Luke 4 and 5, began his public ministry. He proclaimed he was on a mission. Jesus was here on purpose and on a mission to bring good news to the poor and freedom to the oppressed. This call challenges us as we think about our own purpose, to step out, to be on mission and to be empowered by the Holy Spirit as we do so. In week two, we learned about how Jesus called ordinary people, everyday people like you and me, to do great things, and the reminder for us that week was no matter how cool you think you are or uncool you think you are. No matter how educated you are or uneducated you are, no matter where you are in life. Your purpose does not depend on perfection or what other people think you should have, but rather it's about responding to God's call with faith. And then last week we talked about okay, there's purpose, there's a place. What are we building our lives on? We talked about building our lives on a solid foundation, living on Jesus's upside down teachings when it comes to loving our enemies and grounding our lives in values that may be difficult to instill in our lives today, but we'll set up for a firm foundation years from now. As we weather life's storms. And today, as we get into Luke chapter 7, if you want to follow along in the house Bibles we're going to talk about a couple topics that are still as relevant today as they were 2,000 years ago. We're talking about generosity and inclusivity. Today, through this centurion story, the story will show us how living with faith and humility, while breaking down barriers, aligns us with God's heart and brings us transformation. Without generosity and inclusivity, I do not believe you can find your place and purpose. So, after delivering his transformative teachings that we talked about last week.

Speaker 1: 2:48

Jesus returns to Capernaum. Remember, he's in Capernaum because the people in his hometown didn't like what he was teaching. They didn't think he could be who he was claiming. They ran him out of town so he had to relocate. He returns to Capernaum where he encounters an unexpected figure at an unexpected time a Roman centurion.

Speaker 1: 3:10

And if you don't know this, centurions are influential military officers. So in that time these guys were like modern day influencers, but in a military sense, this particular centurion would have overseen a hundred different soldiers. And to the Jewish people who are living under the Roman Empire, the centurion represents oppression, represents a war lost, represents a lifestyle they don't want to live. He represents everything that's against freedom to these people. And yet this particular centurion, he is different. He doesn't rely on his power. And he had a lot of power. He had not just the Roman Empire backing, but he had a hundred soldiers at his command and he didn't just use his wealth. And as a Roman centurion officer he would have been very, very wealthy. But he doesn't use his power or wealth and instead he seeks a Jewish rabbi who is making a name for himself in Capernaum.

Speaker 1: 4:18

Jesus had finished saying all of those things to the people and he returned to Capernaum and at that time a highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and to heal his slave. So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. If anyone deserves your help, he does, they said, for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us. So there's obviously a lot going on in this passage, if you're just kind of breaking it down in segments.

Speaker 1: 4:57

As I mentioned, the relationship between the Jewish people and the Roman occupying forces was fraught with tension and hostility. These Roman soldiers were oppressive forces, but this centurion is respected by Jewish leaders. It's kind of hard to imagine that, that you're an oppressed person and yet you respect someone who represents the oppression. And another thing that's kind of weird here is that this Roman centurion officer is a Gentile. He's not Jewish, and so for a Gentile in power to reach out to a Jewish rabbi was astonishing in and of itself. That itself was weird. For many in the Jewish community, expecting this interaction would have been unthinkable Because, furthermore, slaves, as it still is today, were viewed as property 2,000 years ago, the same way that you might view a car or furniture oh one died Time to get a new one.

Speaker 1: 6:04

Oh one died Time to get a new one. But the fact that this centurion cares about his servant tells us something else about him. He would have had the wealth to buy new slaves. He could have replaced the one slave with 10. And it wasn't like he said well, this slave is really good at this or really good at that. It's gonna be really hard to replace him.

Speaker 1: 6:23

We're told that the centurion just cares about him, that he values this servant, and so it's the centurion's compassion that also sets him apart and it makes him willing to cross cultural and ethnic boundaries to seek Jesus, and this highlights the centurion's humility. I think that today we face similar societal boundaries and we are often divided along lines of race, of status and culture, and that's what we're reading about in Luke 7. If you're wondering what the relevancy is to you today in finding your place and purpose, this is what they're dealing with and this is what we deal with. The biblical audience would have been shocked by the centurion's actions, but we should ask ourselves today what boundaries do we need to cross today to show care, generosity and humility. As you think about the dividing lines in our own North American culture of race and status and culture and a great many more I'm not listing which boundaries do you personally need to cross to show someone that you love them, to show generosity and humility, as this centurion did?

Speaker 1: 7:40

In the story, jesus responds to this unexpected request and the story takes a turn that highlights not only the centurion's faith but, again, his profound humility. Jesus goes with him and again this in and of itself is shocking. Jesus is teaching. He's got crowds coming to see him and he gets sent kind of a notice Go check Jesus out. He would like you to heal this person. So Jesus is going and just before he arrived to the house, the officer sent some friends to say Lord, don't trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. I'm not even worthy to come and meet you. So Jesus is on his way and the centurion hears about this and now he sends friends. He says whoa, whoa, whoa. Jesus is too big, too important, too busy to come out to my house. Stop him, tell him he doesn't need to come all the way out here. I mean, jesus is so worthy that I can't even go and approach him myself.

Speaker 1: 8:44

The centurion sends the message to Jesus, says just say the word from where you are. From where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am a man under authority of my superior officers and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say go, and they go, or come and they come. And if I say to my slaves, do this, they do it Again. This whole scene shows just how humble this man is. Despite high status. He doesn't need to ask Jesus. He should have the confidence to approach anyone he wants. He sends friends. He considers himself unworthy.

Speaker 1: 9:27

Now contrast this with the Jewish elders who approached Jesus. What did they say about him? If you got to go back and look a little bit, they said no one is more deserving of your miracles, of your healing, of this trip, than this man. The Jewish elders are lobbying for the oppressor. Nobody deserves it more. And yet the centurion doesn't view that about himself Humbly. He says hey, jesus, I've got authority. And anyone who has a boss or is a boss understands this dynamic. When I say do something, they do something. And what the centurion is communicating is Jesus, I have such faith in you that you have authority over all things. So, wherever you are at, you can say the word, and by your authority, things have to listen. His body needs to be healed. Because you have authority over that. He breaks it down. And this profound recognition of Jesus's power is something that Jesus says. I have not seen this kind of faith in all of Israel.

Speaker 1: 10:30

The centurion's recognition of Jesus's authority parallels Paul's teachings in the New Testament, where he speaks of Christ breaking down dividing walls of hostility between Jews and Gentiles. Paul says for Christ himself has brought peace with us. He united the Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of the law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups Together as one body. Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on a cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

Speaker 1: 11:16

Jesus's authority, just like his mission, is not confined to ethnic, social or religious boundaries. His mission supersedes all of those things, and in the centurion we see a faith that also transcends those boundaries. The centurion was not going to be limited by ethnic, social or religious backgrounds. And so Jesus hears this. He was amazed turning to the crowd that was following him, because, remember, he's got a crowd that's following him. He turns to the crowd and he says I tell you, I haven't seen faith like this in all of Israel. Those Jewish elders who were coming to lobby all of a sudden might think twice about lobbying to Jesus again, because he just kind of insulted them a little bit. Wait, what do you mean? You haven't seen faith like this in all of Israel. We are Jewish elders here and this guy's a Roman centurion, he's the oppressor. They might be rethinking some things here, but Jesus says in all of Israel I haven't seen this. Well, jesus doesn't continue going. We're going to read Jesus goes somewhere else. He does other things, but when the officer's friends returned to his house they found the slave completely healed. You see, the centurion knew Jesus had authority over all things and all Jesus needed to do was say the word and all things could happen.

Speaker 1: 12:41

Centurion's faith in the story stands out, not just because of his background or his status Both of those things are amazing but because he fully trusts in Jesus's authority, based on what he has heard alone, and this moment underscores that God's kingdom is open to all people who believe, regardless of ethnicity, status or religious background. This is a theme that connects with Galatians, chapter three, where Paul declares in Christ's family, there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free male and female Among us. You are all equal, that is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ's family, then you are Abraham's famous descendant heirs according to covenant promises. The centurion's faith reflects such unity in Christ, a faith that breaks down all barriers and recognizes Jesus's universal lordship.

Speaker 1: 13:39

The centurion provides a model for us today when we're talking about finding our place and our purpose within God's kingdom and on his mission and within a church community. Provides a model of both generosity and inclusivity that represents and reflects God's kingdom. You think about it, his actions. He built a synagogue for the Jewish people. He provided the funding himself. There wasn't a fundraiser. There wasn't tax dollars pouring in, they were the Roman Empire. He didn't a fundraiser. There wasn't tax dollars pouring in, they were the Roman Empire. He didn't have to do anything for this religious sect, but using his own money. He does it probably for the good of his community, probably because he lives among these Jewish people and he sees that they need and they want a place to worship, and he provides it for them. But not just in his generosity, with his finances, with building, but he shows compassion toward his servant, toward a slave. The centurion cared for those beneath him in status, showing that true generosity, biblical generosity, comes from valuing all people equally. I mean, similarly, the centurion's ability to reach out to Jesus, a Jewish rabbi, despite all of their differences. That also reflects true inclusivity. This inclusivity demonstrated by the centurion has the power to transform lives and communities when we practice it in our own lives today. The centurion didn't just say he valued Jewish people. He demonstrated it through action and generosity. He used his resources to build that synagogue.

Speaker 1: 15:22

What sets this centurion apart is his love wasn't expressed in just words but by tangible actions. So as we reflect on ourselves today and we think about how we love people, do we love them with what we say or what we do? His wealth wasn't used solely for his own comfort. If he built a synagogue, he probably could have built a really nice addition to his house. He probably could have gone. A really nice addition to his house. He probably could have gone on a really cool trip, but it wasn't just about his own comfort, but he used his own wealth to serve other people who could never pay him back and to support a community that he didn't belong to.

Speaker 1: 16:09

His generosity reflected a heart of humility and a genuine desire to lift people up. You see, what he did with his resources revealed the condition of his heart. He didn't have to say he was humble. He didn't have to say he was inclusive. He didn't have to say he was generous. By how he lived revealed all of those things, and it should today challenge each and every single one of us me and you watching and listening online to think about how we use our own resources. How do you use your finances, how do you use your time, how do you use your influence? Does it reflect humility, generosity and love?

Speaker 1: 16:55

I read just the other day, as I was preparing for this message, that most recent data that we have about 2022 in terms of the data for generosity and the average American, which is all of you in the room right the average American gives 1.7% of your finances away, not necessarily the church, just to any generous cause. Think of something like a convoy of hope which sends disaster relief to areas impacted by hurricanes, or you could think of places like Madison Church 1.7%. However, the average American also consumes 17% of the world's resources. We are consuming 10% more than we are contributing. We are taking 10 times as much as we are giving. We might think we're generous because we give 1.7% or 5% or whatever we give, but then we turn around Monday through Friday and we consume way more than we give away.

Speaker 1: 18:02

Are we, like the centurion, using what we have not just for ourselves, but to build others up, to build the world up, to contribute to communities? You are not a part of Halfway around the world, speaking languages you don't understand. Do we use our finances to support those in need or to create bridges across divides in our community, whether those are cultural, economic or social? And please understand me, generosity is way bigger than writing a check. This is about seeing people as valuable and worthy of an investment. It's about saying I know I will have to say no to me and I will have to deny myself, but that means I can say yes to someone else and enable them or resource them to do something incredible.

Speaker 1: 19:04

The centurion shows us that true generosity flows from how we value each other and how we use our influence to make lives better. And so, as you think about this week, think about the ways that you can be generous. What synagogue can you help build? What is something you can contribute to that you won't necessarily benefit from at all, but that somebody else will? Who can you lift up with an act of generosity that reflects the love of Christ in a tangible way and, at the same time, consider extending hospitality to someone outside of your usual circle we're talking about different ethnic and social and cultural boundaries. Who is outside of your circle that you should extend hospitality to today? But I do want to issue a warning for those of you who are like me and are white Do so with cultural awareness, do so with cultural humility. It's important to recognize that inviting people of color into predominantly white spaces can sometimes cause them emotional stress and even labor as they navigate cultural differences with us.

Speaker 1: 20:25

You see the centurion. He was in a position like you and I are today a position of power and privilege. As a Roman officer in occupied land, he had significant influence over those around him, and yet he used his influence not to oppress, but to care for those around him and contribute to the well-being of those around him and, in case you didn't know, in Madison Wisconsin, around him. And in case you didn't know, in Madison Wisconsin, we live in a white majority culture and, as such, those of us who are white should see ourselves in the centurion in this story, as we are in a place of power and privilege. And so I want to ask those of you who are white how are you using that influence and privilege? You have it, whether you want it or not. Are you using it for Christ and his kingdom or for yourself? Do you use your privilege and your influence to protect your comfort or do you step out in faith to engage and lift up those with less power, like the centurion did? Are we building relationships across boundaries and we contribute to the health of marginalized or minority communities around us, like the centurion did when he built a synagogue for Jewish people?

Speaker 1: 21:46

We may not always recognize the way that we hold power or privilege Simply by being in a majority culture. We can become blind to our power and our privilege, but the centurion's example challenges us to look beyond our privilege for the sake of others, and let me just state this now this is not about guilt. I get to sit in a lot of really cool circles here in Madison that are very diverse ethnically and racially, and this isn't about getting together and beating white people up. I don't want you to feel guilty, but I do want you to feel responsible. You have privilege and you have power and you have influence, so use it and be responsible for it. Are you willing to build bridges and create opportunities for those who do not have the same access or influence? Are we listening and learning from others?

Speaker 1: 22:41

That requires you to sit in circles you're not familiar with and to shut up. It means hearing things that will make you uncomfortable. It means hearing things that will make you uncomfortable. It means hearing things that will challenge you. It will mean hearing things where you're like. That can't possibly be true of me, but perhaps it is, and that's okay, because, like the centurion, we are called to humble ourselves and use the privilege we have to serve others, not to protect our own status.

Speaker 1: 23:15

This is a reflection of Christ's call and for those of you who are not white people of color, you find yourself maybe in this story following Jesus to the oppressor and wondering why is he doing this? Shouldn't the centurion be canceled? Shouldn't we be helping other marginalized people? We know them, they're us, they're our friends, they're our family. But what you see in the story is Jesus, who is followed by his not majority culture audience, going to the oppressor and showing us what it looks like to be a marginalized people group and to extend love, grace and forgiveness. And not just that, but what happened in this story? Healing To extend healing, spiritual and physical. This is the way of Christ. This is not the way of our culture. This is a new narrative that transcends culture that we live in, but it's one that, for 2,000 years, has been in Luke 7 for all of us to read.

Speaker 1: 24:28

This story is a powerful testament to the transformative nature of true faith, and it ought to deeply challenge every single one of us, and I mean deeply. Nothing that I have said is easy. I don't even really have anything I can say to you that like oh, this week you should try this or you should do. Do this, because the things that we're talking about today is a complete trajectory change for many of us. It's about opening ourselves up and setting our lives on a trajectory in which I look at myself and I say how and I regularly assess am I using my power and my privilege for Christ and his kingdom? How am I practicing generosity and inclusivity in my own life, whether I'm going to school, I'm going to work or I stay at home or here at church?

Speaker 1: 25:20

These are the issues that drive Jesus, who has crowds, to leave Capernaum and to go on a trip he likely knew wouldn't end at a centurion's house. It's what challenges us today, and it will require all of us to have a great deal of humility, so much humility. We ought to start praying for it now, if we haven't started already. Because, as followers of Jesus, we are called to break down barriers ethnic, social and religious. We are called to follow Jesus, not our favorite news anchor, not our favorite newspaper, not our favorite blogger or podcaster, but Jesus. And we are to do what Jesus did, and he demonstrates this throughout his whole earthly ministry. And so this week, whole earthly ministry.

Speaker 1: 26:14

And so this week, not something necessarily to do, but something to think about and to pray about, to reflect on, to look yourself in the mirror and to get past that whole yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm good, but to really look for something and to say do I represent the type of generosity and inclusivity in my own life that this centurion showed? And can you imagine if every single one of us in the room, this Madison Church community who's not all here today can you imagine if each of us did that, if we took it seriously? How can I be more generous? How can I be more inclusive? How can I use my power? How can I be more inclusive? How can I use my power, how can I use my privilege? How can I help and contribute to healing? What if we all did that?

Speaker 1: 26:56

What might Madison Church be able to accomplish for Christ and his kingdom in the city of Madison, for those who are on the other side of those divisions Ethnically, financially, racially, socially, culturally?

Speaker 1: 27:13

You see, I think so often, especially in 2024, we put our hope in a candidate or a platform and we think that if we could just get this person in now.

Speaker 1: 27:20

I'm only 36 years old, but I feel like I've seen enough where I know that that's not just going to happen, but what I have also seen is bodies of believers like you change the world.

Speaker 1: 27:35

I have seen that happen and maybe not so much in North America and I think it's because we don't use our power and privilege as we ought to. But we can look at other continents and in other countries and see that entire governments and entire cultures are changed, not top down, but at the grassroots where believers are meeting. That isn't just possible over there, it's possible here in Madison and it's possible with you, but it does require all of us to reflect the love and character of Jesus in a world that desperately needs him. So when we're talking about finding our place and purpose, I want you to ask those questions about power and privilege and using that for the kingdom, and in doing so, I believe that Madison Church will continue to and even step into a fuller picture that reflects God's love, and that we are a community that serves and restores the world around us.