Stewards of the Light Bill?

     Stewardship is about ministry, not money. Or, Stewardship isn't about the money. I have heard this said many times and although I understand the statement to be true, it often deflates those who are looking at a balance sheet that does not balance or a pile of bills without sufficient funds or too little too late. 

     It is about reaching out to others and making a difference. Doing for other human beings is part of our relationship with Christ and a plan for our future. 

     Forgiving ourselves and each other is also part of Stewardship. Funny though that forgiveness is part of Stewardship too. It is another act of caring for ourselves and for each other. Breaking bread on Sundays is forgiveness and an act to remind us of the greater forgiveness given to us.

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.