STEWARDSHIP

The Pastor explained the meaning of Offering and Sacrifice, and then directed the Ushers to get ready for the weekly Offering, except it was not going to be an ordinary Offering. People were invited to bodily come forward, up to the Communion Table, and place something of value, but not money, near the steps for an Offering that day.

 STEWARDSHIP: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

It means understanding and using who we are, what we have, what we do, individually and corporately, to carry out the mission for which we were sent. I am a child of God’s: unique, different than any other human being…a frighteningly awesome, humbling, exciting, and challenging fact. It is my responsibility to try and find out in what ways I am unique and how to use what I find out.

With what abilities have I been endowed? Do I have some understanding about what the purpose of my life is supposed to be? Do I know how I’m to use my material possessions to accomplish that purpose? Sometimes it is helpful to talk over things of this nature with someone whose opinion you value: but for me, the best approach is to pray about it. My stewardship is my response to God’s love for me, and what better way is there to determine what that response must be than to be in communication with God? Our understanding of our personal stewardship today is not necessarily what our understanding will be tomorrow or years hence. It changes with age, physical capabilities, economic circumstances and especially with the growth that comes as we move from the “now I lay me down to sleep” kind of prayers, to longer periods of silence, listening and meditation. Christian stewardship encompasses all things. What you and I return to our Lord is in direct proportion to how well we understand who we are, why we are here, and our willful commitment to try and express our thanks.

 GIVE FIRST--MANAGE THE REST

If God comes first in our lives, then giving to God should also come first. The person who says, “After I pay all the bills I cannot afford to give,” may not be telling the truth. But these people have made a grave error. They have put the “cart before the horse”. None of us could afford to give with what’s left. Putting first things first, means giving first and then managing the rest of our income in a way by which we will still pay all our bills. And this is easier than you may think.

At first, people came forth tentatively and with some hesitation. One brought up a blanket, another a Bible, and yet another a coat. One fellow, an avid golfer, went out to the parking lot to his car to get a set of golf clubs that he had just bought. When he bought up the set of clubs to the steps, a spirit of generosity spread through the congregation like wildfire. People began to get up and bring anything they had with them to deposit.

One fellow, deeply moved by the gift of the golf clubs, didn’t have anything with him. As he thought about what he might give as an Offering, he had what seemed to him as a hilarious thought. He went out to his car and brought in a spare tire he had in the trunk. As he rolled it up the aisle to lean against the Kneeling Rail, another man came up and examined the tire, then went over and whispered in the Pastor’s ear. The Pastor whispered back, and then the man rolled the tire back down the aisle to his seat.

When the Offering was finished and the area was full of various items that has been brought forth, the Pastor picked up the microphone and addressed the congregation. The Pastor relayed what the man had whispered in his ear: the man had had a flat tire on his way to Church that very morning. He could not afford to buy a new tire, so he prayed to God to bring him one! He had gotten a ride to Church with a friend that day. When he saw the tire being rolled up the aisle, he went over and looked at the model number on it. He couldn’t believe it! IT was the exact number he needed.

The Pastor suggested he take it him with him and the man therefore rolled the tire down the aisle to his seat. The Pastor concluded, “Giving can be infectious, and you never know which of your gifts people will need.”