Mariners Mission Viejo is such a generous community! We are growing in our understanding that everything from time, to hospitality, to our money, can be given generously. God is on the move in our neighborhoods and it is the generosity of His people that allows us to join Him in His work.

Our own generosity, in all its forms, is an act of gratitude and of worship. We aren’t commanded to give anything out of compulsion or coercion. We’re not tricked into the belief that giving buys us God’s favor. We give because it is an extension of our joy. We give as a reason to celebrate — even when we give sacrificially, to the point of discomfort.

Doug Fields quoted this passage during his message this past weekend, and it has been in my head all week:

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life… but with the precious blood of Christ…” – 1 Peter 1:18-19

The question, “How much is my life worth?” can be answered with another question: “How much is someone willing to pay for it?” As Doug Fields spoke in our Fearless Generosity series, I was struck by the notion of how much God so deeply loves us, how much He was willing to give for our sake, how much He values us — how much we’re worth.

It is this picture of God’s generosity, in Jesus, that points us toward Good Friday and Easter. This weekend, we celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. I’m looking forward to seeing you there as we wrap up our Fearless Generosity series.