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Tolling of the Bells...

"...therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee."

John Donn 1624

Pasted from <http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/for-whom-the-bell-tolls.html>

It is said Beethoven loved to hear the bells ring. The beauty of that sound is missing in contemporary time; more like the sound of Gershwin's An American in Paris-not such a bad sound but not the sound of calling folks together.

Today we hear sirens, horns, mechanical chimes, whistles; and, not many bells to remind us to pray, to warn of danger, to tell the time of day, or to celebrate. One of the surprising things about looking around is seeing how much we do and how generous this congregation is and in how many ways we are generous.

John Donn's rich Meditation is one of social justice and connectivity. There is a recognition that we are all one and interdependent. We need each other. What benefit is there if we do not reach out to others perhaps even to those we do not like-at all? It is the richness of our internal life that suffers if we do not and the richness that is gained when we do, surprising with the benefits of complexity and human need.

Although Donn's bells were of funeral bells -a different calling-bells call us to each other and to notice, to be aware, to understand, and to do for another making all stronger and pushing us forward into agape.

Look around you; read the Outreach Page; Stop and read the Bulletin Boards; Send a post card; volunteer, smile  and recognize all that we are.

UTO, St. David's Court, Souper Bowl, Heifer Project, COTA, Garage Sale, El Salvador,  Springfield Garden, Samaritan Center, 1st Friday Supers, Forums, Church School, Music, Arts, Coffee Hour, post cards, Eucharist, Flower Guild, Altar Guild, Stewardship, Vestry, Choir, Priest, Servants, Memorial Garden, Legacy Society, All Saints, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter offerings, Living Will, Liturgy, Reason and Tradition, our parish community, and so much more--

Continue to name our assets at St. David's Episcopal Church in DeWitt. We have much to be thankful for and much work to do to rebuild us as we are meant to be.

And now with God's help, let us care for all our assets.

So many things for which to give thanks

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.