Scarcity! Bah Humbug!

          Wasn't it Dickens who called our attention to the poverty of body and spirit? His metaphors for scarcity were vulnerable and powerless children.

"This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased." <http://charlesdickenspage.com/carol.html>

       We may feel like children in an impoverished and stratified society helpless and without resources living in a corporal world where feelings of scarcity control and manipulate; and, so influence want and fear. But in God's world, there is no scarcity because there is always enough for us all.

      There can be a scarcity of water, of vaccine, of medications,  of diamonds and gold.  Without scarcity how do we value our needs and wants? Some might say controlling utilities by cost maintains poverty; controlling   food by cost contributes to poverty; controlling space manipulates racism and other isms of injustice.

      Scarcity seems essential in valuing things and in creating demand. We do value our time and talents and decisions are made attaching a dollar amount to a service or an item. Scarcity or thinking-scarcity forces choices which are not necessarily a bad thing as long as scarcity is recognized for what it is and for what it is not.

     Whether for Economics or Trade or Stewardship, scarcity is also opportunity in another form. We are not without because we are not helpless, powerless, or ignorant. Our gifts were freely given to us for us to pass on. The 'Doom' to which Dickens refers is within our control; we have choices to re-frame scarcity and act with generosity illuminating the metaphors of ignorance and want and eliminating  the fear of not enough.

Scarcity! Bah Humbug!

           The daughter of a Presbyterian minister, one of my grandmother's favorite songs was Jesus Loves Me. She was a resonant alto and would drop into harmony. I remember singing with her riding in her Oldsmobile. She had the right idea- to remember that Jesus loves us; that  Stewardship is about remembering that  Jesus loves us; so then, it is about what we do with that love.

          Love, the inside-out kind of love, is perceived then shared with others. At that time , a funny thing can happen because we experience something much bigger than ourselves and we are changed.  Maybe Stewardship really is about us after all rather than about what we do for another.  We seem to need such experiences so our change leads to ministry and to knowing that we contribute and that our contribution is important. God's love for us is generous; there is no scarcity of love and we are free to pass it on so it will come back to us.

There is much for love to be doing.

        In a time of financial uncertainty when folks loose jobs and when our young graduates have a hard time finding a job, it is hard to give. Yet, here we are in a season of gifts. The birth of Jesus, the Christ Child, is a gift to us and so we remember his birth by giving to others. We make our list,

'check it twice', and spend on presents, special food, holiday clothes, special music, and so on.

 I get caught up in winter lights, wreaths, the songs of Christmas, a warm fire, lists, and even in Advent. I love the idea of quiet reflection during the crazy, frenetic, busy season of shopping, parties, and special events. Lovely as they are, it is the time to be still and quiet that is the gift I cherish most. Reflecting takes me back to Stewardship; that is, to care for our traditions, even our lists, and 'tis the season for love to be busy and we Stewards to remember our thanks. 

Eucharisto to all -- a note from Bishop Adams

Thanksgiving Day
November 24, 2011

Victor Frankl, in his book, Man's Search for Meaning, speaks of the "intensification of inner life" that occurred for him and other prisoners in their concentration camp experience.  A sunset outside the window, lines of poems, and the most ordinary actions of the past - such as riding a bus, answering the phone or turning on the lights - became filled with beauty, longing and thanksgiving.

I experienced this in a small way just after I had bought a loaf of bread at a bakery in Amman, Jordan some years ago.  The bag containing the warm and fragrant bread had various words on it: tak, tack, grazis, gracias, merci.  One of the words stood out beyond the others - eucharisto - used on the streets of ancient Greece to say thank you.

Perhaps it was the warmth and aroma of the bread that had taken me to another place in my heart, but all of the sudden I was overwhelmed by a sense of deep gratefulness to be holding the bread, noticing my hands around it, being able to purchase it, the beauty of the people around me as I walked, the sun of the brilliant Jordanian sky, and the children in the orphanage where I was working with whom I would later share the bread.  All was gift.  God was as close as the bread in my hands and the scent that filled my nostrils.  I was nearly giddy with joy.

To say a blessing or grace this day over our meals is to acknowledge the source from which it all comes, to be acutely aware that God is the source and beginning of all that is good.  May your day be one in which you experience the intensification of inner life as it bursts forth in the generosity of love and intent of God's great embrace.  Eucharisto to all.

Bishop Skip Adams

Stewardship Update

We want to report to you our progress in stewardship this year. The news is very good, reflecting the confidence and hope you are placing in the life of our congregation. Thank you all!!

Of 70 potential pledges, we have received 42, with a total of $125,200.

Of those 42 pledges, 21 have increased, from 4% to more than 56%, over their 2011 gift. Two were able to double their pledge. We are very grateful for those increases.

We thought it would be helpful for those who have pledged, and for those still considering their commitment to St. David’s, to see the range of pledges for 2012.

So far, about half of us – 20 – pledge between $1,000 and $2,500. Six give under $1000, and 16 are able to give over $2,500.

If you have not yet made your pledge, or might be in a position to consider an increase, we hope this point in time update helps you make your commitment for the year ahead.

Stewards of Wine and of Wishes

I was talking with a lawyer recently about an estate. The comment he made was one of Stewardship of another's property, or another's wishes, of another's remembrances. The word Stewardship was, to my mind, an unusual choice but really felt right for the task of administering someone's wishes and someone's legal matters. There are stewards of property and of wine but Stewardship becomes a broader concept, not just for church and not just for the Canvas but for caring and care-taking of our community. Although lights and heat must be paid for, it is never for those things that I give but rather for our community and all that we do as outreach and in-reach.  It is also for thinking,  sharing  ideas, prayer, and communal tasks that make meaning of Stewardship and of our Baptismal covenant that inspire me to give.  We may be stewards of each other- both a privilege and a terror.

Give thanks for the little known folks in our lives

From Bishop Adams ...

The Feast of SS. Simon and Jude
October 28, 2011

Of Simon and Jude, two of the twelve, little is known.  They tend to be linked because tradition places them as apostles to Persia, modern day Iran.  Yet the antiphon above names them along with the other apostles as foundation stones of the heavenly Jerusalem.

In Scripture we have glimpses of the conversations that took place among the original disciples.  They include words of excitement, hope, disappointment, disagreement and even bickering.  Sometimes they are clueless and other times great words of faith shine forth.  Very human power struggles cause conflict and division.  In the midst of it all, however, comes a vast reservoir of faithfulness of which you and I are the inheritors.  Foundation stones indeed.

Such grace, more often than not, comes to us from the little known saints whose paths we cross.  They are also a part of our foundation.  I am a person of faith in Christ Jesus today because of the original twelve, because of Simon's and Jude's "ardent devotion."  I am also a person of faith because of a third grade Sunday School teacher who, with a twinkle in his eye, taught me the awesomeness of God; an eleventh grade trigonometry/analytic geometry teacher who invited me to see the complexity of God and to trust my own giftedness; an elderly parishioner who helped me to revel in and enjoy the beauty of God as she danced her prayer.  The list goes on.

Who are these little known folks in your life?  Who are the ones who have passed on the great repository of faith to you?  Give thanks for them this day even as we bless God for the gifts of Simon and Jude.

From Bowie Snodgrass of Faith House Manhattan

Faith and Abundance in a time of great n

 http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/Reflection_3_Full_Page.pdf

the good earth that God has given us ...

MANY THANKS to all who dug, raked, pulled, swept. wiped -- and supervised us all on Saturday, October 22. Garden pictures do come to mind often when we think about the things for which we give thanks. The beauty of our building and grounds is a gift to all who come here, to all who pass by. Thank you to all who keep our corner of God's green earth tidy and in order.

Rooting our giving in the baptismal covenant

Here's a thoughtful way to approach stewardship, from Trinity Cathedral, Cleveland, Ohio:

"Each Sunday in worship, the people of Trinity Cathedral affirm our faith by reciting five vows from the Baptismal Covenant of the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer:

✙  Will you continue in the apostle’s teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?
✙  Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
✙  Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
✙  Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
✙  Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?

To each question, we respond: I will, with God’s help.

When we recite our baptismal vows, we are renewed in and reminded of God’s call in our lives and the life of Trinity Cathedral. We are all ministers of God’s word by virtue of our baptism, and we are all called by God to proclaim, in word and action, God’s justice, love and mercy for all creation."

A prayer as we begin ...

O God of all creation: 
of galaxies and of fragile, fragrant flowers.

We thank you for the beauty and wonder of life.

Help us to remember that while you surround us with beauty and fill us with wonder, that you call us to be more than mere creatures in your creation.



Give us the strength and the wisdom to shoulder the responsibility of being your stewards, called to be caretakers of all the abundance of life.

May we live with the love of Christ in our hears, and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in our mouths, so that

we may be your hands and feet wherever we go. Amen.

Stewardship 1 A View with Different Eyes

Saturday, October 01, 2011

8:35 PM

My Aunt was in the hospital. Five days later she was septic and family members were called. One of the gifts of this unfortunate situation was the hospital Chaplin. She seemed to find me or perhaps I was waiting to be found. There was no denial, no avoidance, but space and time being with. Being with in prayer, in silence, in proximity. One remark struck and reminded me of how lucky we are even struggling with the anxiety of loss and in a fearful fight for life. That is, that this disease (and so many others) is a disease of a wealthy country. From Nigeria-our Chaplin, looking at the patients in the hospital, we had so many gifts and even in illness lived with abundance.

This Blog is about gifts, abundance, giving, scarcity, and Stewardship in the complex world in which we live, love, and work. We intend to explore Stewardship and you are invited to participate.