God is Generous, All the Time
Grounding Our Generosity in God’s Generosity
Reflection By Scott Stoner
God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.
- (Traditional call and response)
Several years ago, I (Scott) was invited to be a guest preacher at a church outside of my own tradition. I come from a tradition that has occasionally been referred to as the “frozen chosen,” because we are not commonly known for spontaneous expression of emotions in worship.
The church I was visiting was just the opposite of this—singing, clapping, and shouting “Amen” and “Praise God” whenever the Spirit moved them. Their generous spirits were a gift to me, a gift that continues to this day.
One specific call and response I remember was the pastor saying, “God is good,” followed by the congregational response, “All the time.” Then the pastor would say, “All the time,” with the response being, “God is good.” This began and ended the service and was repeated throughout.
Changing one word in this call and response perfectly concludes our week-long reflection on the generosity of God: “God is generous, all the time. All the time, God is generous.”
Even when life is difficult, even when we cannot see or feel God’s presence clearly, God’s generous love remains constant. This doesn’t mean that God causes all things to happen, but that God’s generous love is available to us in all circumstances. Learning to trust God’s generosity helps us practice generosity with our mind—organizing our thoughts and resources around what we know to be true rather than what we fear might be true.
Weekly Integration: How has this week’s focus on God’s generosity helped you become more aware of the bounty in your life? What one thing do you want to carry forward that will help you stay grounded in God’s love? Looking back over this week’s reflections, what resonated most? How might you integrate God’s generosity into your daily routine?