Reflections on "Celebrating Stewardship" 2 Corinthians 9: 6-15; Matthew 25: 14-30

I thought the sermon went well, although we had a great Minute for Mission, and it probably was a better stewardship message than this sermon was.

The first story went over well at both services.  I had originally included it in the body of the sermon, but decided to put it in the introduction so we could have a little fun to start the sermon and because the theology in the story probably is not the best.  I think it worked as an icebreaker for the stewardship topic just fine.

I also love the story I used in the conclusion at the Chapel service (in italics), but it didn't really fit the sermon (I didn't figure that out until I preached it in the Chapel service).  Consequently, I left it out of the Sanctuary sermon.  I will probably used it another year.  I really like the image it gives us of choosing what we want to value in life.

Both texts were referenced in the sermon. In both cases, a full sermon (or sermons) could be devoted tot he text, but I think I also used them well in this sermon. 

After two weeks of just jumping into the sermon, I had a more formal introduction.  Not sure if it mattered, but I thought that was necessary for the final sermon of the stewardship series so we could all be reminded of what we have done in this series.

"Celebrating Stewardship" 2 Corinthians 9: 6-15; Matthew 25: 14-30; Stewardship series 2013; FPC, Troy;

 Introduction:  We finish the sermon series on stewardship this morning.  As you may recall, we began by reflecting on how we teach stewardship; then how we live stewardship; last week we thought a bit about how we can continue our stewardship even after our deaths; and we finish this morning by celebrating stewardship.

When we take up the offering, we will all be invited to put in our pledge cards and then share in a responsive litany as we commit these gifts to God.

Surely, a good reason for celebrating. 

I am reminded of the story of two men who crashed in their private plane on a South Pacific Island. Both survived. One of the men brushed himself off and then proceeded to run all over the island to see if they had any chance of survival When he returned, he rushed up to the other man and screamed, "This island is uninhabited, there is no food, there is no water. We! Are going to die!"

His friend, who happened to be a Presbyterian, leaned back against the fuselage of the wrecked plane, folded his arms and responded, "No we're not. I’m a Presbyterian, and I make over $250,000 a week."

The first man grabbed his friend and shook him. "Listen, we are on an uninhabited island. There is no food, no water. We are going to die!"

The other man,  unruffled, again responded. "No, I make over $250,000 a week." Mystified, the first man, taken aback with such an answer again repeated, "For the last time, I'm telling you we ARE doomed. There is NO one else on this island. There is NO food. There is NO water. We are, I repeat, we are going to die a  slow death."

Still unfazed, the first man looked the other in the eyes and said, Do not make me say this again. I am a Presbyterian. I make over $250,000 per week........I tithe.  I promise you, the Session is already looking for us.

Okay, a silly story, but I hope as you make your pledges this morning you see it as a reason to celebrate.

Two thoughts:

Move 1: We celebrate when our stewardship challenges us to live in ways that make a difference, that matter to God.

a.           Miller describe an interview he heard of Bill Gates.  Gates noted that he was so rich that there nothing he could not buy.  He went on to note that Microsoft saved him because “he was really more interested in what he was doing than how much money he had.” (my editorial note – now he finds that satisfaction in working with his foundation)

Lots of rich people aren’t happy, Gates said.  Miller’s minister says that “money should be your tool and that you should control it, it shouldn’t control you Blue Like Jazz,  Donald Miller, 192

b.    We know the Matthew passage as the parable of the talents.  

1.    I don’t think Jesus tells us this story to give us investment advice, at least not in the sense that a stock broker might.

2.    Jesus tells this story to emphasize how he calls us to live our lives.

3.     What are called to compare how the one who is given five talents uses his gifts with how the one who is given one talent uses his gift.

 4.    What is the difference?

5.    The one who Christ commends sees the talents he is given as a tool to be used. 

6.    For the other person, the talents are a burden.

7.    it’s almost as if he is afraid of them.

8.      The question “What should I do?” paralyzes him for fear that he might make the wrong choice

c.    When we make our commitment to God, we are choosing to utilize the many blessings God has given to us. 

1.    that means that those pledge cards we give back today are not only important for the pledge you make, but they are important because of the message they send.

2.    They remind the giver and announce to the world that we choose to use the gifts, both our monetary gifts and our others gifts that God has given us to do God’s work in the world.

 Surely, that is cause for celebration.

Move 2: Second thought:  When we get stewardship right, it calls us to be a cheerful giver.

a.    I know I’ve shared this story with you before, but I cannot read Paul’s call to be a cheerful giver without thinking about this story.

1. I have a friend who called me one Sunday afternoon (you may not get these kind of calls, but I do – occupational hazard, I guess) and said, “guess what happened at church today on Commitment Sunday?”

“What?”

“I went to church with a pledge in mind, but then I filled out the pledge card for a lesser amount.  You want to know why?”

“why?”

“Because the minister preached on being a cheerful giver.  He said to only give an amount that would make us cheerful.  I decided that the original amount I was going to pledge did not make me cheerful, so I lowered the amount to what made me cheerful.”

“Really?”  That led to a rather interesting conversation on stewardship.

b.  I've been thinking about what makes us laugh or smile.

 1.     Not giddy laughter or that burst of laughter when we hear the punch line to a joke.

2.    Not the huge smile because we've just won something, or because we are forcing ourselves to look happy for the world.

 3.    That knowing chuckle or smile of deep satisfaction that points to our happiness with what we have done.

 

4.    When Paul calls us to be cheerful givers, I think that’s what he’s talking about – giving that makes us feel satisfied.

 b.    Consider the context in which Paul calls the Corinthians to be cheerful givers.

1.    They are struggling.

2.    Struggling to figure out what it means to be followers of the resurrected Christ.

 3.    Struggling to figure out how to leave as this minority group in the world.

 
4.     Struggling to figure out how they live their daily lives following the one who is no longer in their midst, but has ascended to heaven.

c.  Paul has lots of different ideas, and among those is his call for the Corinthians to be cheerful givers.

1.    Theological reason – God has blessed you abundantly.

2.    Call to discipleship – if you sow sparingly, you reap sparingly; if you sow bountifully, you will reap bountifully;

3.    an agricultural illustration that basically says, if you give just a little, you will receive just  a little return;  if you give away generously, you will get abundance in return.  WE now recognize, of course, that we are back to Jesus’ parable of the talents.

4.    Community – offering of the persecuted Jews in Jerusalem – show your bond of unity by giving to help them.

c.    Paul’s rationale to be cheerful givers in the Corinthians’ context, applies in our context as well.

1.    the basis for our giving is theological – God has blessed us; we return that gift.

2.    Pattern of discipleship – giving ourselves to others; stewardship gives us a concrete response to set the standard for how we live our lives as disciples.

3.    Unity in Christ – these gifts will be used to connect us to support ministries that connect us with each other and connect us with those in our world with whom we minister.

Conclusion: When we put our pledge cards in the offering plate today, we should celebrate.  Not because the stewardship campaign is done, but because we have chosen to give back to God.    Amen.

 

** The following italicized text was the conclusion used during the Chapel service. When Pompeii was being excavated one woman was discovered with her feet headed in the direction of the city gates and escape from the hot, flowing lava, but her face and hands were frozen in place looking and reaching for a bag of pearls.

 

She was stuck in place showing us the choice we make – do we find our reason to celebrate in those possessions that we have; or do we escape from that mindset and discover what it means to be a cheerful giver.

 

 

 

"Celebrating Stewardship" 2 Corinthians 9: 6-15; Matthew 25: 14-30

I do not yet have a handle on where I am going with this week's sermon.  I've been thinking about what makes us smile or laugh.  Not giddy laughter or huge smile because we've just won something or heard something funny, but that smile of deep satisfaction or chuckle that points to our happiness with what we have done.

I think Paul is calling us to know that kind of happiness when he calls us to be a cheerful giver.

The Matthew passage is the parable of the talents.  it serves as a reminder that it does matter how we live our lives and how we utilize our resources. 

I'm trying to connect these two text more explicitly.  I'm not sure why I paired them; in fact, I think that I picked one when I was writing the Link and add the other one later, so I'm not even sure that there was ever an initial design that used the texts in tandem.

I have been culling through some of my stewardship illustrations to see if any fit.  I'm trying on the following to see if they can fit in this week's sermon!

  “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”  Winston Churchill

When Pompeii was being excavated one woman was discovered with her feet headed in the direction of the city gates and escape from the hot, flowing lava, but her face and hands were frozen in place looking and reaching for a bag of pearls.

:  Miller describe an interview he heard of Bill Gates.  Gates noted that he was so rich that there nothing he could not buy.  He went on to note that Microsoft saved him because “he was really more interested in what he was doing than how much money he had.”  Lots of rich people aren’t happy, Gates said.  Miller’s minister says that “money should be your tool and that you should control it, it shouldn’t control you Blue Like Jazz,  Donald Miller, 192

Two men crashed in their private plane on a South Pacific Island.Both survived. One of the men brushed himself off and then proceeded to run all over the island to see if they had any chance of survival When he returned, he rushed up to the other man and screamed, "This island is uninhabited, there is no food, there is no water. We! Are going to die!"

The other man leaned back against the fuselage of the wrecked plane, folded his arms and responded, "No we're not. I make over $250,000 a week."

The first man grabbed his friend and shook him. "Listen, we are on an uninhabited island. There is no food, no water. We are going to die!"

The other man, unruffled, again responded. "No, I make over $250,000 a week." Mystified, the first man, taken aback with such an answer again repeated, "For the last time, I'm telling you we ARE doomed. There is NO one else on this island. There is NO food. There is NO water. We are, I repeat, we are going to die a  slow death." Still unfazed, the first man looked the other in the eyes and said, Do not make me say this again. I make over $250,000 per week........I am a Baptist and tithe. MY PASTOR WILL FIND US!"

“people who give money to charity were 43% more likely than non givers to say they are “very happy” with their lives, according to the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey The study also found that people who did volunteer work were 43% more likely to be happy than those who did not volunteer.  A separate study at the University of Michigan found that people who gave money away were 68% less likely to say they had felt hopeless in the last month.”  New York Sun, Dec. 28, 2007 as quoted in the Christian Century, 1/29/08, 9.

Reflections on "Extending Stewardship" Luke 12: 13-21; Psalm 49: 16-20

The sermon went pretty much like I had planned it.  I think it was some good points and was well organized.  

It felt a bit like an "in-house" sermon that only mattered to a few people.  We had several visitors in worship with us, and I think it was hard for them to connect with the sermon.  Maybe any stewardship sermon has that feel to a certain extent, but this one more than others.  

If I did it over, I might have a different introduction that explained the sermon topic in the context of the sermon series.  I thought it was a great line to start the sermon and capture people's attention, but that might have cost the sermon a necessary piece of clarity that a more traditional introduction would have provided.

I generally think any sermon ought to easily provide the answer to the question: "Where is the gospel (good news)?  I'm not sure this sermon did that.

“Extending Stewardship” Stewardship series 2013; FPC, Troy; November 3, 2013; Luke 12: 13-21; Psalm 49: 16-20

Move 1:  I held her hand as she died.  I had gotten the call earlier that day.  Clara had decided to take herself off dialysis.  It was not a surprise, since her quality of life had diminished considerably in the recent months.

They called me because Clara did not any immediate family, and her closest relative, a cousin who was also her lawyer, was in court.  They didn’t think she should die alone.

I was studying for a looming DMin class, so I grabbed one of the books (I can still remember what I was reading), and I headed to the hospital in Lexington.

She was still alert when I arrived, but the next few hours would be a scene made for a movie.  I would hold her hand and talk with her at first; we even prayed; then she drifted out of consciousness, so I sat by her bed and alternated between reading my book and standing by her bedside to squeeze her hand to let her know I was still there.

When she was still able to talk, she started telling me again about how she wanted the money from her estate to be spent.  She was a retired school teacher, who loved going to garage sales, who lived in an old home that she basically spent as little money possible on its upkeep.  At one time, I thought she was barely making it from paycheck to paycheck, but I had learned in the last year when she asked me to look over her checkbook (as a rule, I don’t like to get involved with people’s finances, but this day she was really upset about  some checks that had gotten messed up while she had been in the hospital for hip surgery).  When I compared her bank statement to her check book, I found the problem, and also discovered that she had more money in her checking account than I would make that year.

She had talked to me before about what things she wanted to support after her death, and I had always told her that she needed to talk to her cousin the lawyer, to make sure her will matched the desires she shared with me.  Her response was always, “He’s one of my boys (all her former students were one of her girls or boys), so he’ll take care of me.”

This day, since I had my notebook with me, I jotted down what she wanted to do with her money.  I thought maybe it would be helpful to her lawyer cousin, although I was pretty sure that whatever she stipulated in the will would carry the day, regardless of what she told me on her deathbed.

She finally died.  The nurses came in and we did the paperwork, etc. that was necessary, they took the body, I grabbed by stuff and left. 

As I was leaving the hospital, I met her cousin who had rushed over from court.  He as too late to see her, but I shared with him how her last few hours had gone.  I told him about her wishes for her estate, and mentioned that I had taken some notes.  He didn’t seem very interested, although he did tell me that the church was a beneficiary of her will.    I said, “Ok, but I kept coming back to this list of groups she wanted to support.”  Finally, he laughed and said he’d talk to me later about it, and off we went to our cars.

A few weeks later, his office called the church and asked if I could stop by for a visit.  Off I went, with my list in tow.

Before I could pull out the list, he said to me, “Did you understand what I was telling you at the hospital? The church is the sole beneficiary of Clara’s estate, which is valued at nearly $1 million dollars”

My stunned face showed that I did not in fact understand what he was telling me at the hospital.

Then he smiled and said, “I guess you are the one who has to make sure that Clara’s list gets taken care of!”

And the church did. 

The rest of the money was invested and now annually supports local high school students with scholarships, including one each year to her alma mater for a student who intends to into the teaching field;  and mission work of the church, to mention a few of the things her money has made possible. 

The Psalmist reminds us that we cannot take our wealth with us.

One way to extend our stewardship to God is to remember the church in our will.

Move 3:  In the last year or so, this congregation has received significant funds from embers after their deaths.

a.            two members (husband and wife) remembered the church by stipulating that 10% (a tithe, remember) of their estate go to the church.  

b.             Another member had previously established a charitable annuity, which means that years ago money we put into an annuity that paid out to the member each year, with the remainder going to the church at the member's death.

c.             A third gift arrived through the generosity of a member's family, who chose to give a gift out of the estate.

d.            Others have given specified amounts in their wills.

e.     Shortly after I arrived to serve this congregation, an estate was probated.  The member gave a sizable sum to the Deacon fund.  I did not know the member, but I immediately learned from the gift that the member thought the work of the Deacons was really important.  In fact, the Deacons still have some of those funds available for their use.

e.             In these different ways, members have declared the importance they place on giving back to God and the work of this church in serving God.

f.   The Longest Ride, a recent novel by Nicholas Sparks finishes with a pretty creative, amazing will.  A will whose sole purpose was to announce to the world that the one whose will it is considered most important in their life. 

The will was a testimony to what the person loved and valued most.



I keep thinking about what a powerful witness it must be for families to discover that their loved one has remembered their church in their will.

Move 2: the  parable we read in Luke is often known as the Parable of the Rich Fool.

Named that because the man in the story chooses to focus on accumulating his assets.

a.              In some ways, it fits well with the sermon because it makes the point that at our death all that we are accumulated means nothing.

b.               On the other hand, it seems a bit contradictory because it argues against storing up our wealth while on earth. Of course, in order to have something to give back after our death suggests that we have accumulated something during our life!

c.               But in the parable, we see Jesus pointing toward a way of life that focuses on generosity, rather than accumulation.

Generosity that should define the way we live our lives; generosity that we can witness to after our deaths when we remember the church in our wills and estate planning.

Move 4:  In his will, the American patriot Patrick Henry wrote, “I have now disposed of all my property to my family; there is one thing more I wish I could give them, and that is the Christian religion. If they had this, and I had not given them one shilling, they would be rich; but if they had not that, and I have given them all the world, they would be poor.” This quote taken from resources provided by Presbyterian Foundation for Wills Emphasis
 http://www.presbyterianfoundation.org/PresbyterianFoundation/media/PresbyterianFoundation/Wills%20Emphasis%20Program/Sermon-1-WE-2009-new-logo.pdf 

We cannot ensure that our family members who survive us will claim the faith that we have; we can help ensure that our family knows how much we value our faith, and we can provide for the work of the church so it can continue to provide opportunities for our family members and others after we are gone by providing support for the church in our wills.

Conclusion:  the Brief Statement of Faith, the most recent confession added to our Book of Confessions, beings with, “In life and in death we belong to God.”

In life and in death we belong to God and all that we have is God's.

"Extending Stewardship" Luke 12: 13-21; Psalm 49: 16-20

This sermon is the third in the stewardship series, and it focuses on how we can continue our stewardship beyond our death by remembering the church in our will.

In the last year or so, the congregation I serve has received significant funds in three different ways:  two members (husband and wife) remembered the church by stipulating that 10% (a tithe, remember) of their estate go to the church.  Another member had previously established a charitable annuity, which means that years ago money we put into an annuity that paid out to the member each year, with the remainder going to the church at the member's death.  A third gift arrived through the generosity of a member's family, who chose to give a gift out of the estate.  Those are three varied examples of members have witnessed to their and supported the church through their giving after their deaths.


In his will, the American patriot Patrick Henry wrote, “I have now disposed of all my property to my family; there is one thing more I wish I could give them, and that is the Christian religion. If they had this, and I had not given them one shilling, they would be rich; but if they had not that, and I have given them all the world, they would be poor.”  This quote taken from resources provided by Presbyterian Foundation for Wills Emphasis
 http://www.presbyterianfoundation.org/PresbyterianFoundation/media/PresbyterianFoundation/Wills%20Emphasis%20Program/Sermon-1-WE-2009-new-logo.pdf 

We cannot ensure that our family members who survive us will claim the faith that we have; we can help ensure that the work of the church continues to provide opportunities for our family members and others after we are gone by providing support for the church in our wills.

I keep thinking about what a powerful witness it must be for families to discover that their loved one has remembered their church in their will.

The portion of Psalm 49 we read is a reminder that we cannot take our wealth with us.

The parable in Luke is often known as the Parable of the Rich Fool.    IN some ways, it fits well with the sermon because it makes the point that at our death all that we are accumulated means nothing.  On the other hand, it seems a bit contradictory because it argues against storing up our wealth while on earth.  Of course, in order to have something to give back after our death suggests that we have accumulated something during our life!

The word generosity continues to pop up in my thoughts; it seems to be a word that connects all the sermons in this series.

Peace,

Richard

Reflections on "Living Stewardship" Malachi 3: 8-12; Luke 19: 1-10

This is a week when the sermon preached in the Sanctuary worked better than the one in the Chapel.  It also is a sermon where the printed text below is more an approximation of what was said in the sermon -- I seemed to free lance quite a bit, although all the illustrations and quotes made it into the preached version.

I intentionally opened by moving directly into the Zacchaeus story.  Because I now listen to the sermons regularly, I am trying to be more intentional about changing my preaching pattern.  This week I decided to skip an introduction because I have gotten into the habit of having an introduction each week that reminds everyone what the sermon series is.  

I thought the Zacchaeus section was really good.  The Malachi reference was weak.  In truth, I didn't have the Malachi passage figured out very well until I read it during the Chapel service.  At that point, I had an "aha" moment, but I couldn't rewrite the whole sermon on the fly.  I would love to preach the Malachi passage again at some point and focus on God basically daring the Israelites to test God by tithing and seeing if things will work out when they do.  That could really preach!

I really like the Nouwen quote that I used at the end of the sermon, but it might have been a bit long.  I also discovered from comments people made as they left that Henri Nouwen, who is very familiar to me, is not that familiar to others.  

“Living Stewardship” Stewardship series 2013; FPC, Troy; October 27, 2013; Malachi 3: 8; Luke 19: 1-10

Move 1:  Zacchaeus makes a big change in his life.

            a.  You know the story.

1.      Little guy climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus.

2.      Little guy who is a chief tax collector.  Notorious kind of guy.

3.      Jesus recognizes him; Jesus recognizes his need; Jesus invites himself over to this house.

3.      Zacchaeus likes what he sees and hears about Jesus.  The presence of Jesus overwhelms him.

4.      He wants to change his life.

5.      He decides to give half of his possessions to the poor and pay back four times to anyone he has defrauded.

            b.  What? He is going to give half his money and repay those he has defrauded four-fold?

1.      Did Jesus ask him to do?

           

2.      The text does not say so.  It seems as if Zacchaeus devised this plan himself.

3.      Can you imagine if you were asked by Zacchaeus to figure out a plan for how he could make concrete changes to his life?  What would you suggest?

4.      The easiest approach might be to just tell Zacchaeus to quit ripping people off beginning now.  His changed life would lead to his being fair from that moment on.

5.      Or maybe Zacchaeus could be pushed to pay back everyone he has cheated.  Clean the slate.

6.      And if he really wanted to do something, pay everyone back and give a tithe to the poor.  A tithe is even biblical, right?

7.      But who among us would advise Zacchaeus to repay those he has defrauded four-fold and give half his possessions to the poor? 

8.      I don't think I would.  Not only does it seem over the top, but someone might have a similar suggestion for me!

c.      But the point is made – when Zacchaeus becomes a disciple of Christ, his life becomes marked by his generosity.

1.      In fact, extravagant generosity.

2.      We do not know what Zacchaeus might have been like a year later, but he seems pretty happy at this moment.

Move 2:  From Zacchaeus' example, we see discipleship connected to generosity.

a.       That’s what it means to be Living stewardship.

1.  Not just a moment when we make a pledge to as part of a church’s stewardship campaign, but a life marked by generosity.

2.      Paul Harvey: On October 3, 1995 during the noon-hour show, Paul Harvey told about a young man of 8 years-old named Ben. It seems that Ben had won a contest at his local McDonald’s. He had won a brand new bike. Everyone in the store was congratulating him on his good fortune. But Ben told his parents that he already had a bike and that he didn’t need two. Ben gave the new bike to a classmate who lived up the street who didn’t have a bike, and due to family medical bills, his parents would not be able to purchase one for him. When the manager of the McDonald’s store heard what Ben had done, she invited Ben and his family to dinner. The manager then presented Ben with a $100 gift certificate good at Wal-Mart. Ben immediately spent that gift on a crash helmet, for his classmate up the street.

b. Our generosity helps us differentiate between the way of the world and our call to discipleship.

                        1.  Dave Ramsay notes that "We buy things we don't even need with money we don't even have to impress people don't even know."  As quoted by Robert Schnase in  Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations (113)

2.       The world teaches accumulation of wealth.

3. Generosity teaches us to give of ourselves and our money to others.

4.  We need an attitude of generosity to propel us out of the world of self-absorption.

c.      Consider this example from Israel. 

1.      The Jordan River feed River feeds two seas – the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea.

2.  The Sea of Galilee is thriving and full of life; the Dead Sea is too salty to have much life.

4.      Difference – River Jordan flows into the Sea of Galilee in the north and flows out of it to the South.

5.      The River Jordan flows into the Dead Sea, but nothing flows out.

6.      When we generously give away the gifts that God has given to us; when those gifts flow through us, if you will, abundant life appears.

7.      When the gifts from God end with us, never shared with others, then abundant life is stifled.

Move 3:  the invitation to be generous is a gift.

            a.  The notion that stewardship rightly focuses on the Christian's need to give rather than the church need to receive is not simply a money-raising strategy but a spiritually driven truth."  Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, Robert Schnase (112)

                        1. I ran across a study done by the Warwick Business School in England.  It determined that the report also said that happier countries were likely to be bigger givers than those who were simply wealthy, which Andrew Oswald, professor of behavioural science at Warwick Business School, said confirmed the results of "small-scale laboratory experiments which have shown that when people are asked to spend money on others they feel happier than people who are asked to spend money on themselves. This goes against conventional economic wisdom, and indeed human intuition, that says that spending money on ourselves will make us happier." http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/sep/08/good-samaritan-charitable-giving

                        2.  Those results may go against conventional economic wisdom, but I bet Zacchaeus would understand.

b.The prophet Malachi describes how happy the land of the Israelites will be when they give back their tithe to God.

1.      When they are not being good stewards, they miss the important opportunity to give and find abundant life.

2. when they give, they discover the joy that can only come from giving.

Conclusion:   Henri Nouwen:  The Joy of Giving
"What a wonderful mystery this is! Our greatest
fulfillment lies in giving ourselves to others. Although it often seems that people give only to receive, I believe that, beyond all our desires to be appreciated, rewarded and acknowledged, there lies a simple and pure desire to give. I remember how I spent long hours looking in Dutch stores for a birthday gift for my father or mother, simply enjoying being able to give. Our humanity comes to its fullest bloom in giving. We become beautiful people when we give whatever we can give: a smile, a handshake, a kiss, an embrace, a word of love, a present, a part of our life... all of our life. One of the most moving experiences of life is the experience of giving.  It is sad to see that, in our highly competitive and greedy world, we have lost touch with the joy of giving. We often live as if our happiness depended on having much. But I don't know of anyone who is really happy because of what he or she has. True joy, happiness, and inner peace come from the giving of ourselves to others. A happy life is a life for others." Henri Nouwen, The Life of the Beloved

Living stewardship.

"Living Stewardship" Malachi 3: 7-12; Luke 19: 1-10

The notion that stewardship rightly focuses on the Christian's need to give rather than the church need to receive is not simply a money-raising strategy but a spiritually driven truth."  Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, Robert Schnase (112)

Dave Ramsay notes that "We buy things we don't even need with money we don't even have to impress people don't even know."  As quoted by Robert Schnase in  Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations (113)

We need an attitude of generosity to propel us out of the world of self-absorption.

I was drawn to the Zaccheus story because of his generous response to meeting Jesus.  He decides to give half of his possessions to the poor and give back four times what he had defrauded someone.  His generosity far exceeds what he might have been expected to do.

The prophet Malachi describes how happy the land of the Israelites will be when they give back their tithe to God.

The idea of living stewardship take a holistic approach to life that pushes us to live generous lives, not just in our monetary giving, but as our overall approach to how we live.