Thoughts on Stewardship

Friday, Feb. 27, 2015

In the Gospel of John we read of the calling of the disciples: Phillip finds Nathaniel and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph.” And Nathaniel said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Phillip said to him, “Come and see.” (John1:45-46)

Each of us is also called to “Come and see” the one who brings peace and understanding, the one who came to offer us salvation and new life.

Gregory the Theologian writes, “You will never overcome God’s generosity, even if you give away all that you have. … And however much you bring to Him, always more remains. Nor will you give anything that is your own; for all things flow from Him.”

We are called to “come and see” God’s many blessings in our life, recognizing that all things flow from Him. What is our response?  In gratitude and thanksgiving do we offer our time, talents and treasure in proportion to what we have been given. 

Remember the Samaritan woman at the well.  After meeting Jesus, “the woman then left her water pot and went her way into the city, and said to the men, ‘come see a man who told me all things I ever did: Is this the Christ?’ Then they went out of the city, and came to Him.” (John 4).

God places us in situations to share our faith. As he called upon His disciples on the day of Ascension, He also calls upon us to be His witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

In another Gospel, we read of people coming to see Jesus. There were four men who brought their paralytic friend to be healed. When they found the place where Jesus was teaching so crowded that they could not get close, they lowered the man through a roof on a stretcher and laid Him at the feet of Jesus.

We begin by first bringing ourselves to Christ, but it does not stop there. After bringing ourselves we are called to bring others. The greatest gift we can bring another person is Christ. 

But the ministries need our support. We are able to fulfill God’s mission for the Church only to the extent we support it. Our support comes in our physical, spiritual and financial support. Giving to the Church is an opportunity to examine our priorities and values. It is an opportunity to express our thankfulness and to participate in the work of God. 

Did you know that there approximately 500 references in the Bible about prayer, but there are about 2,300 references in the Bible about offering financial assistance to the church? Furthermore, Jesus spoke more about money than He did about prayer. What can we surmise from these facts? What we do with our money is a very spiritual thing not separate from the rest of our spiritual lives.

Giving to the Church is an opportunity – an opportunity to examine our priorities and values. It is an opportunity to express our thankfulness to give of ourselves and to grow in grace. It is an opportunity to participate in the work of God. Come and see what we can do together with your support.