Like many other congregations in America, ours is emphasizing stewardship of financial resources at this time of year. On October 11, we’ll do everything possible to persuade everyone in the congregation to make a new, and hopefully increased, pledge of financial support of God’s work for the coming year.
I'm not sure why we have to work so hard to get Christians to do something so central to the Chris-tian way of life. It came to my attention years ago that a substantial number of Christians consider the topic of stewardship to be less popular than some other ones. On several occasions, I’ve had church members suggest that I soft-pedal stewardship because some people might get upset. I’ve never taken that advice and here’s why.
Over half of the recorded sayings of Jesus Christ concern possessions. Jesus knew how possessions interfere with our relationships with God, our neighbors, and our spiritual identity. Don’t most wars, lawsuits, family feuds, and legislative battles finally boil down to who possesses what and how much?
A rich man approached Jesus and asked, “Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus told him to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow Jesus. The man couldn’t do it. Why? He was possessed by his possessions. He derived too much of his identity, security, and status from his possessions.
Jesus was not condemning wealth. Jesus was trying to help a man find the freedom and joy that comes from living in a right relationship with his God, his neighbor, and his stuff! Like Jesus, I want to help people have a healthy relationship with their possessions so that all the other relationships of their lives will be healthier and they will know the kind of freedom Jesus called “eternal life.”
The story of stewardship is grounded in the story of creation. When God created human beings, our role as stewards was imbedded into our DNA. As the only creature made in the likeness of God, humans have the distinct privilege and responsibility of managing God’s resources in ways that further God’s creative and redemptive purposes.
When we abdicate our role as stewards, we lower ourselves in the pecking order of creation. Before long, we make idols that stand between us and our God. In exercising the vocation of stewardship we become more fully human and fulfill our God-given destiny in creation. We need to give!
Finally, it is important to help the community of Christian people see how necessary the work and witness of the community is to the ongoing redemptive mission of Christ. The first thing Jesus did in his public ministry was to form a community. Throughout his ministry, he worked to shape that community into an apostolic, missionary force. The last thing he did before his Ascension was to send that community into the world to bear his message and transform lives. When the community of Christ's followers is healthy and vibrant, the apostolic witness impacts the mission field at our doorstep in powerful, divine ways. We can't be faithful stewards if we neglect the community into which we are baptized and to which Christ has entrusted so much of his redemptive work.
When our lives are focused on stewardship instead of ownership, we experience greater freedom. When we embrace the pattern of Jesus’ life that is characterized not by having but by giving, our relationships are transformed. When our giving strengthens the Church, the divine mission given uniquely to the Church can be accomplished.
As a Priest, why would I want to soft-pedal something like that?
I'll see you in Church!