Between washing his disciples’ feet and being arrested, Jesus told his disciples, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35, NRSV). We hear echoes of this commandment in the song “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love.”
At Massanutten Presbyterian Church, we don’t treat these as simple words to recite … they are a call to action. Jesus also tells us, “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” (John 13:17). Therefore, we always attempt to grow as followers of Jesus Christ in how we actively love one another.
Being generous is part of following Jesus – it is part of discipleship. While growing in generosity happens all the time, each year at MPC we intentionally focus on generosity for a season.
Generosity 2026: Growing in Gratitude by Making an Intentional GIFT
Generosity Team: Bill Marlowe, Robin Reed, Gus Scheidt, Deb Thompson
This year we want to focus on the growth of generosity in our own lives and as a congregation. We start by recognizing that generosity is a form of worship. By being generous with ourselves and our resources, we glorify God and boldly join the Spirit in establishing God’s Kingdom on Earth.
In order for us to grow in generosity together, we invite you to be intentional about prayer and reflection. First, we invite you to join us in the prayer, “God of Abundance, help me to be intentionally generous, growing in faithfulness and thanksgiving.”
In addition, we will focus on the acronym “G.I.F.T.” – which stands for the last five words of the prayer: Growing in Faithfulness and Thanksgiving. We will share ways for you to learn and reflect upon stories of how God has used past generosity at MPC to change lives. Our hope is that you will grow in thankfulness for the ways God has changed lives through past generosity. And we hope that you will grow in faithfulness that God will continue to change lives through our present and future generosity. To learn about these stories, click here.
We are also sharing a free resource – the book, “The Generosity Challenge.” This book contains devotionals and exercises you can utilize to apply things you learn about generosity in your own life. Copies of the book are available at the church.
Through this prayer and reflection, we hope you will also discern how you can grow in gratitude by making an intentional GIFT. In this particular season of generosity, that intentional GIFT will come in the form of a commitment of giving for 2026. You can make this commitment by filling out a paper commitment card and turning it in on Commitment Sunday – March 1, 2026 – or you can make a commitment online.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a member of the Generosity Team or Pastor Keith.