In our Lenten sermon series this year, we are looking at Paul's letter to the Galatians, specifically at his list of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in chapter 5. And we are going back to the original Greek words Paul used for these fruits, to get as much meaning as we can from them. These fruits are rejected by the world and the flesh, Paul tells us, but there is no law against them, and they bring us towards the kingdom of God. We've already talked about five of the fruits, and now tonight we look at the fruits of patience and generosity...
On Saturday, August 15th, in the year 1248 A.D., Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden laid the foundation stone for a new cathedral – a massive, gothic structure worthy to house the relics of the Three Wise Men in the city of Cologne, Germany. And when Archbishop Hochstaden died in 1261, the EASTERN ARM of the cross shaped cathedral was only 61 years away from completion. The eastern arm was opened for use early with a temporary back wall in 1322, and construction on other sections continued through to about 1560 A.D., when enthusiasm for the cathedral waned. Then, in 1842, under the inspiration of German nationalism, a great deal of funds were raised to complete the Cologne cathedral, and it was finally consecrated on October 15th, 1880 – 632 years after construction started. It was completed just in time to be the tallest building in the world for 4 years, until the completion of the Washington Monument in Washington DC. And assuming a mean age of childbearing of 21 across that time, it was completed just in time for the wedding of the original construction manager's great-great-25 more greats-granddaughter. Can we of the microwave and 5G society, even contemplate a project requiring that kind of patience?
Paul's Greek word that we have translated as “patience,” is “makroqumia,” and the next best English word to describe it is “longsuffering”. It's the same word James uses to describe farmers in June, and the rest of us waiting for Jesus to return. And it's the same word the debtors beg for in Jesus' parable in our gospel reading. It speaks of being willing to wait, willing to endure, willing to keep hoping, even for long periods of time.
And where we have used the word “generosity” in translating Paul's letter to the Galatians, Paul originally used the word 'agaqwsunh,' which has less the connotation of generosity than of “goodness” or “beneficence.” The word is also used only 4 times in the entire New Testament, so it is hard to compare contexts, but Paul also used it in Ephesians, where he states that the fruit of the light is found in all that is agaqwsunh, which there was translated as “good.”
So what does the world and the flesh have against patience and generosity? Patience, at least in the context of changes in society, is an anti-virtue. Change needs to be all-encompassing, and immediate! We needed to stop burning fossil fuels last week, and so-called transphobia needed to be eradicated last month. Any delay to study and evaluate the change is just an excuse for laziness. And any measures taken to make the pace of change more palatable, are seen as just treasonous compromise to the enemy. What do we want? Whatever we want. When do we want it? NOW!
At least generosity or beneficence is still considered a virtue in our society. If someone has enough to share, it is good for them to share. But relying on VOLUNTARY generosity is too risky. The push is on to implement MANDATORY generosity through forced redistribution of resources. And, of course, when generosity is mandatory, it is no longer generosity, no longer a moral choice, no longer a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
The worldly response to patience and generosity is at least a response of unbelief, if not a response of idolatry. It imposes on God the limit of scarcity. Anything you have means something I can't have. And the scarcest resource is time. Never let anyone waste any of yours. With a God of scarcity, generosity must be mandatory, and patience is out of the question.