Stewardship

Note:  This morning I had the pleasure of speaking on stewardship at my local church.  (It was called a minute for Stewardship and I think I went a bit over.  But no one has stoned me yet!!!:)  Wanted to share here what I did there in this short blog post.
Stewardship is not easy.  As our prayer of confession says today:  “How quickly we judge people…how easy it is to lift our voices in criticism rather than life our hands in compassionate care.”

Like Christianity, stewardship is challenging.  As faithful members of this church, we MUST be devoted stewards; we are charged with the careful and responsible management of not only this building, but of all its people and their missions.  It’s not all about money, well maybe today it is, but it’s about grateful giving…giving of finances, giving of time, giving of talent and sharing love the way that Christ taught us.

To be true Christians, we must be good stewards.  And again this is not easy.  Think about it, when taken out of context  we are simply following the teachings of a man who had two fathers and a surrogate mother; a man who consorted with the lowest of the low; a man who although was innocent and sinless, was a convicted criminal. How easy it would be to just turn away.   But we know that there is more to the story than just those simple facts.  For it was this man, the son of God, who taught us through word AND deed to be care for one another, and not just for those who are like us, but for all humankind. To continue what Christ teaches us we must be good stewards.  This church is and can continue to be a light in the darkness, if we continue to be good stewards.

As it says in 2 Corinthians 9:6-9: 6 The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written, “He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness[a] endures forever.”


Let’s keep this in mind as we make our pledges for the upcoming year.  Remember next Sunday is officially Stewardship Sunday.


The road is not easy, but it is an important and  necessary one to travel.  I hope we will all agree that it is worth it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We Have Taken America Back

Image
Back to a time when all men (and women) are not created equal.  Where women's healthcare is determined by men's laws and not by medical professionals. Where education tells only the "winning" side of the story and truth does not matter.  Where banning and burning books is a social event.  Where people who are "different" than those in power can be mocked, shunned and hurt with no real consequences. Where lies are acceptable and integrity is  just a word on a page We have moved into a time where rage is the rage.  Where hate is not just normal, but accepted and even cheered. Where leaders can ask to have their "enemies" killed and no one will bat an eye.  Where it's "funny" to see someone struggle.  Where felony is applauded. Where compassion is not shown and caring for others is looked down upon. We have taken America back to a time of pain and suffering for many.  Back to when the "haves" can have and the have nots don'...
Read more

It's Not About Starbucks (or is it)?

Image
  About a block and a half from my home in a major intersection.  At the southeast corner (which is nearest to me), is an empty building.  Back in 1995 it was a Bank of NY (I remember this because they didn't shovel/de-ice their parking lot well and my husband fell and broke his ankle one Monday morning.  I recall this clearly because we were not yet married and it was the first day of a new job for me.  I had gotten on the bus to work and he was catching a later one; only he never got there.  Instead he ended up laying on the ground until an employee came to open up the bank.  Then he had them call an ambulance AND my mother who took control of the situation until I arrived home that night blissfully unaware of what had happened that day.)  It eventually became a Chase Bank; the second one in my small little town.  It eventually closed.  I'm not sure when but it's been empty for quite a long time.  (I do know that it was open in 20...
Read more

As Is

Image
  Today I want to discuss what I think it is a relatively simple concept, but may be difficult for some, even an attorney who might have once, over a decade ago won a  prestigious award  for young lawyers .  That term is "AS IS." As you may know, I volunteer in a thrift shop.  Everything we sell, from all the donations we receive, is "as is."  The items are not brand new.  They are not perfect.  That doesn't mean they aren't any good or worth something. They are sold "as is."  Buyers should go in knowing that. (After all you are shopping in a thrift shop!)  In some cases, particularly when we are offering higher end products, we will actually write on the price tag, "as is." Such is the case of two designer purses that I purchased from there this summer.  (I'm a purse-aholic!  Don't look in my closet.)  They were reasonably priced (especially when you consider the name brand), but each had an "as is" clearly marked o...
Read more