Free to Love and Serve Neighbor: A Stewardship Perspective
Reflections from Pastor Amy Odgren, Director for Evangelical Mission and Assistant to the Bishop
As asked by Bishop Tom, your synod staff continues to reflect on the Reformation and what it means to us to follow Christ from an ELCA Lutheran perspective.
This past week, I had the privilege to speak to the graduating seniors at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa about the importance of being stewardship leaders in the church. This was my fourth year to have the opportunity to be in conversation with some of the brightest, hopeful and eager-to-serve future rostered leaders in the ELCA. I always come back energized after having learned as much from them as from the panel of "practioners" who shared insights about the ins and outs of encouraging congregations to live as generous followers of Christ.
What is always vivid for me during these visits is that as members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we share a living, daring confidence in God's grace. This faith gives us the courage to proclaim the good news to a world that is longing to hear it - and it sets us free to love and serve our neighbors. And how do we respond to God's call to serve and love our neighbors? We faithfully steward the gifts God has so abundantly given to us.
Although some think of stewardship as only a financial response to God's love, stewardship encompasses so much more than money. It is about how we use all that God has entrusted to our care - our time, our talents and our treasures - to love God and our neighbors, both inside and outside of the church walls and our homes.
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word "stewardship?" Budgets and spreadsheets? Money? Pledge cards? Well...what about love? The ELCA is a church that is energized by lively engagement in our faith and life, and we have an important message to share: stewardship is about so much more than money - stewardship is about love.
Martin Luther summarized stewardship like this: "I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all. But whatever I have placed in God's hands - that, I still possess." For each one of us, stewardship should be a way of life. It applies to time and the talents God has given, as well as to money and possessions. Stewardship includes: time management, doing everything possible to stay in good health, caring for the environment, money management, financial generosity, and planning for legacy charitable gifts. Some say the church talks a great deal about money. That's because money and possessions play such a large part in our life. How we handle money is a good barometer of our relationship with God. One great theologian said, "A bank statement is a theological document-it tells you who and what you worship." Further, it has been said, "Stewardship is the act of organizing your life so that God can spend you."
In our baptisms, we are called to boldly share and witness to the love of God in Christ Jesus. Love God and love neighbor...we do so with the blessings that God has entrusted us with. We do so individually and we do so as a community in Christ. Budgets and spreadsheets? Money? Pledge cards? They are extremely important! The students at Wartburg Seminary couldn't wait to hear about how the "practioners" finessed such things in congregational life as well as at the synodical level.
Many of us have heard that the faith practice of making a regular financial offering to your congregation is grounded in a "first fruits" philosophy. The Apostle Paul encouraged the fledgling churches of his time with this idea of giving from what we have - not from what is left over. We might think of this giving as "business as usual." You pay the rent, you buy groceries and you contribute regularly to help carry out God's mission in the world. Your generosity isn't an afterthought or coming from what's left over - it's part of your day in-and-day-out joyful response as a child of God. These offerings first help to support local ministries, outreach and more. Your congregation then shares a portion of your offering-mission support-with your synod and the synod then sends on a portion to our churchwide expression. Mission support is critical because it enables us to do God's work with our hands.
Ask your congregational leaders if your congregation has sent in their Intent for 2017 Mission Support: https://tinyurl.com/NEMN-MissionSupport2017
Faithfully stewarding the gifts that God has so abundantly given to us is what our mission and ministry together is all about. We need each other. And through our generosity, we witness to the love of God as we love and serve our neighbor in this world that God loves so much.
|