God is Love, Guide 2: Individual Giving
Take Communion (2 minutes)
Leader Note: Begin this time by taking communion together, whether as a full meal or some version of the bread and the cup before or after your meal. If you don’t already have a Communion liturgy, have someone read through the prayer as written below.
“God, before anything existed, you were there—and you were love. You didn’t become love; you’ve always been love. Out of that endless love, you made us. You pursued us. You brought us back to yourself. And here at this table, we see what your love looks like: self-giving and sacrificial. We remember you, Jesus—your body given and your blood poured out for the world. We love because you loved us first. Help us receive your love fully and share it generously—by the way we spend our time, care for others, and give of ourselves. Amen.”
Read This Overview Aloud (5 minutes)
Generous, self-giving love is at the heart of who our Trinitarian God is. We see the nature of God put on display clearly in the person of Jesus. Jesus constantly lived in community, was interruptible, and put the needs of others over his preferences. As Jesus’ followers, we get to respond to his self-giving, generous love toward us by embodying it to others. In John 15, Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you…My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” How then, did Jesus love us? By giving his time, his resources, and his very life.
As God has been unceasingly generous toward us, we get to respond by loving one another in the same way. In Philippians 2, Paul exhorts the church in Philippi to “make [his] joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love…in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Choosing this in our own lives could look like giving up our preferences, giving away our time, and making financial sacrifices to make sure all needs are met in the family of God—even if it means going without something we want or a level of comfort we are accustomed to.
Tonight, we’ll spend some time in smaller groups talking about how we might embody God's love to others through our own financial generosity.
Do This Practice Tonight (30 minutes)
Tonight’s practice has two parts. First, we’ll spend some time together sharing stories about how we’ve experienced God’s generosity this past week and reviewing last week’s practice. Then, we’ll break into smaller groups to consider where or to whom God might be inviting us to be generous.
Let’s take the next few moments to consider the following question all together:
How have you experienced God’s generosity toward you this week? As in our last discussion, it may be something “small” or something that feels “big” to you—every good thing comes from God and his generosity is something to celebrate!
As you reviewed your budget, how did you feel about your current rhythms of generosity? Did you sense any prompting from God to deepen, expand, or grow it in any way?
For the rest of our time together, we’ll split into smaller groups of 3–4 for discussion and prayer.
In the Scriptures, the early church is described as freely sharing resources with one another and helping each other as needs arose. As we are increasingly formed into the image of Jesus, we aim to mimic him and the early church by making sure the needs of those around us are met. Let’s explore a few questions together:
What are some of the barriers to giving financially to others?
Have you given financially to someone you knew before, such as a neighbor or community / church member? What was that experience like for you?
After sitting with your finances and as we talk through these prompts, what step toward generosity do you feel God inviting you to take? (Feel free to take a moment to pause and listen to the Spirit’s prompting before discussing.)
Take time in small groups as time allows to pray for each person in what God is calling them to practice.
Read The Practice for the Week Ahead (5 minutes)
This week, we want to take a step toward giving money to others. If God brought a person or people to mind this evening to be generous toward, take one step toward obedience to what God’s put on your heart. If you don't already have someone in mind, ask God to show you how you can emulate his joyful generosity, and to let you in on the beautiful gift of sharing what you have with others. God's generosity is for all people, so don't miss out by waiting for the 'perfect' opportunity. Jump in and give it a try! In the coming weeks, we’ll process together what God did with your giving.
Finally, in our next Guide, we’ll consider as a Community how we can maximize our impact by pooling our resources toward helping someone we know. In preparation for that practice, consider whether you or someone you know has specific financial needs right now that our Community can come alongside and support as a family. If someone, including yourself, comes to mind, reach out to me (the Community Leader) to share that need.
Leader Note: If you are aware of a financial need within your Community already (a medical bill received, a member moving, a birth, a death, or something else), consider reaching out to that individual in the coming weeks to ask how the Community could come alongside them financially.
End in Prayer (5 minutes)
Leader note: Close your time together in prayer, asking the Spirit to grow in each of you a heart of gratitude, a deeper trust in God’s generosity, and a desire to reflect his generosity to others.