1441AFC101014 – It’s all good
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Philippians 4:19-20 – And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
E pili mau na pomaika‘i ia ‘oe a me ke akua ho’omaika’i ‘oe, ʻōmea! (May blessing always be with you and may God bless you, Beloved!) Lately I have been thinking a lot about stewardship. That’s not too surprising in my case because it is a topic much discussed in our parish. It’s a topic many of us struggle with – mainly because we are convinced that what it’s really all about is money. I’d like to make the case that that’s not quite right.
First, I think it’s important to understand what a steward is before we try to understand stewardship. A steward is someone hired or appointed to watch over – manage – another’s land and property or to ensure that other persons have access to services provided by the steward’s supervisor. A steward is someone who takes care of things that belong to someone else and is enriched – paid – by doing that well.
Stewardship is a systematic application of moral standards or principles that demonstrate the responsible planning and management of property, skills and abilities, and/or occasions. That’s a mouthful! The whole idea of stewardship goes back to the idea of a household servant who had the responsibility to bring food and drink to the dining area. Eventually that idea grew to include just about everything that had anything to do with running a household. Stewardship is now usually characterized as the agreement to and/or delegation of responsibility to manage and safeguard the possessions of others. When we are asked to “be good stewards,” the expectation is that we will be generous in sharing our “time, talent, and treasure.”
That seems contradictory to many people. “It is my time, my talent, and my hard-earned, short-supply, barely-sufficient ‘treasure’ you’re talking about. Hand off!!” And that’s where the true idea of stewardship gets badly trampled. I believe this happens because too much emphasis has been put on the giving part of stewardship, and not enough emphasis on the receiving part of stewardship. In our worldly society where there is no real truth, where the accumulation of wealth is the measure of our personal worth, and where the goodness of God is strongly criticized or even denied altogether, we are led to believe that everything we have is what we have earned or come to possess. We “forget” to give credit to God of all the good things we have. Oh, in Sunday School and Church we know that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:7) But by Monday morning (often even by Sunday afternoon), we are back in control of our time, our talent, and especially our treasure.
I think I first learned about stewardship when I was a kid – yep, back to Corona Presbyterian church again. It was presented as the “Biblical Tithe.” In the Old Testament, the Israelites were instructed to contribute one-tenth of the first-fruits of their produce. In some congregations, this idea was “sold” using verses like Malachi 3:10 which says, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” The way to get rich was to “invest” in God. That wasn’t the case a Corona, though. We learned what I think is the true understanding of stewardship – the meaning that was evident in many places throughout the Bible. Everything we have comes from God, as James said, and when we return a portion of that to God, God does bless it.
It was at Corona where I first learned the importance of knowing that God wanted my whole life, not just Sunday morning (and Sunday evening and Wednesday night), but literally my whole life. I decided at about age 10 to give my life to Full-Time Christian Service – my first Vocation. By the time I was in high school, I planned to take on a second vocation – the ministry. But at age 22, I found another life-long vocation as a Catholic: I married Crucita, and we have worked together for 45+ years to be good stewards of our Christ-centered home. I confess I still struggle with the concept of “Being a Good Steward,” but I am learning and growing in it. As a Catholic, I heard about two other things God wanted in my life – Time and Talent. I have also grown in my understanding of the benefits of stewardship. It is true that God blesses what you share with – return to – him. There is great JOY in this giving-back. That joy starts with and is reinforced by the understanding that it’s all good and it all comes from God which becomes the source of great gratitude – An Attitude of Gratitude that pervades every moment of every day. I honor the giver by accepting and using the gifts he has given me (and there’s a boatload!) on his behalf with and among his creatures in his creation.
My stewardship, then, applies to the Time, Talent, and Treasure in my own life as well as the life of the planet and all the people on it. That’s a tall order; but it is doable and certainly worthwhile. Let me give you an example. Suppose you have a sack of seed-corn you put away from last year’s crop so you can plant this year’s crop. If the seeds you saved were all of the puny and smallest kernels – the leftovers – you will have a lousy harvest this year. If you have good seed, but only plant a small portion of it – say 1-2% – and keep the rest of it … you will have a lousy harvest this year. If you plant all of the best seeds– the first-fruits – (the sack you have is only a part of last year’s harvest), you will have a huge harvest this year. If you keep the sack in the corn crib, you won’t have any harvest. And if you plant the seeds with only the intention of getting rich, you miss the point about stewardship. God does take care of us, and when we use his gifts to take care of other people, places, or things, he blesses us all the more. Here are some verses to think about:
Ephesians 2:4 – and it is according to the riches of his grace he supplies the spiritual wants of his people, and he does it like himself, according to the riches he has; he gives all things richly to enjoy, plenteously and abundantly
Ephesians 6:7-8 – Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women, knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord, whether we are slaves or free.
Colossians 3:23-24 – Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your master since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.
Matthew 5:15-16 – No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Luke 6:38 – give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Psalm 104:24 – O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. God made everything including me and you. I am grateful to know that! In our opening verse, Paul is telling the Philippians that he appreciates what they have done, and he considers the support that they have given him as their gift to God as stewards of the Word.
1 Corinthians 3:8 – The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.
It turns out that the purpose of work, the purpose of time, the purpose of God-given skills and abilities is really for the growing in righteousness and to give us an opportunity to serve others. When we do that intentionally, consciously, conscientiously, and consistently with planning and forethought, we are being good stewards. It is through this process of being a good steward that we have the hope to one day hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matthew 25:21)
The real value of stewardship is not that it makes us wealthier in this life – although certainly God provides all we need for the simple reason that he has the power to do so because of his nature – but that God wants us to manage the gifts he gives us in ways that reflect HIS generosity and glory. When we acknowledge with genuine gratitude that everything we have we have received from him, we realize our thankfulness arises from a humble and contrite heart that recognizes God has gifted us with every good thing we have. Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all this will be added unto you. So, a steward is someone who takes care of what belongs to someone else and is enriched by doing that well. A good steward is one who does that with profound gratitude for the opportunity of being a steward.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved
Share-a-Prayer – Be good stewards of God’s Peace by sharing it through prayer around the world, especially in Syria and Iraq.
