Stewardship 2024

October & November are Stewardship months!

Christ will make his home in your heart as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” Ephesians 3:17

The definition of “Stewardship” is organizing or taking care of something. For us at Memorial, as Jesus told us, “I and the Father am one, so you and I are one”; as we care for ourselves, our church, our community, our world, we are all unified together as one, caring for each other as ourselves.

The world is impacted by what we do, or don’t do. Everything affects others so, the world can thrive as we answer the call to our immense purpose to care for ourselves, this earth, our relationships and most importantly the Word of God and His kingdom.

We give our ourselves and our talents to answer our call to be one with God. Our Time, Talent, and Treasure is part of God and touches everything we interact with or don’t interact with.

The deeper we go, the higher God’s kingdom is built up.

So, as we root downward, fruit is created and shared upward.

Make generosity a part of your growth strategy. Know that only by giving do we receive more than we already have. Making an intentional choice to use our Time, Talent, and Treasures allows our roots to grow down into him, centering us and our lives are built on him.

“Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”— Colossians 2:7.

So, Let us seek truth, connect hearts and transform lives. As we live stewardship, it is all about our hearts in the heart of God. Everything we have is a gift from God that we are to use to build relationship with others.

First, I believe we need to reform our hearts on a daily basis. The trauma, the drama, the worry, the anxiety, the hurt, the grief we experience is very real. We should not dismiss those feelings, but as we tread the waters of sadness, we are asked to experience the water as life giving, and not drown in the water of despair. We are called to drink from the water, let it refresh us, even as we mourn, swim through and come to the other side.

We can do this because God is with us, the community of faith is with us, and we can too help others to do the same. I think a reformation that the world needs today is to know that God is in charge, He is everywhere, He is loving. We need to remember that we are a part of Him. He is in, with, and under us —supporting, guiding, loving us, and asks us to do the same with each other. In fact to do this with everything of creation.

With that strength, His strength, and His love shared with each other, we can move to build the kingdom as He directs well. Will this mean action? Yes, be doers…in word and deed. Sometimes the action will be small, sometimes we are called to the larger task. But we are not alone in the work and it can be joyous!

That is the Reform we learn today. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, including reforming our focus! Be built up, Memorial. Nothing is too big for our God and with Him we too can bring about change and bring peace. Our choice counts! Choose God, give thanks, find strength and peace to face all things, do all things, be all things. Even if we fall the first time, we can keep doing our best again and again. Remember how many failures it takes for success. As the great Reformer built his battle on the words, “By Grace we have been saved”, we too can hold that in our working in the kingdom. Every mistake is covered and forgiven as we confess, repent, and relent, and go to try again.

God bless you; God bless Memorial; God bless our community; God bless our world. We are one. Love each other in the unity of the Spirit. Amen.