"Stewardship
is not about money"
Stewardship is a subject that comes up often in a church, but is almost
never greeted with much enthusiasm. Most of us just figure that it's
another sermon designed to ask for money. And that is usually what
it is. In one of the classes I had in seminary my professor insisted
that we should be unafraid to talk about money. Words like cash and
credit cards should not be forbidden in sermons. But fortunately,
I had another teacher as wel; one that truly understood what stewardship
was all about. And, believe it or not, stewardship is not primarily
about money.
First of all we need to understand what a steward
is. The Greek workd for Stewards is Oikosnomos. That is a compound
word that means household law. That describes a steward perfectly.
They are the household law. A steward is a person entrusted to manage
the property, the household and business affairs of their master
or employer. Because of this, the steward is not only a person who
has great responsibility, but they are also entrusted with upholding
the honor of their master as well, since they will be the one who
represents them in their day-to-day dealings. As you can see, a
steward may deal with money, but it is more about being trustworthy
and honorable as you carry out the will of the master.
How does that involve us as individual Christians?
Saint Paul tells us to "Think of ourselves in this way,
as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries. Moreover,
it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy."
(NRS 1 Corinthians 4:1-2)
Stewardship is not about money; it is about being a person of character
who is worthy to be given a great trust and being found faithful
as we carry out the will of the master. Even if money is involved
in carrying out our trust, it is only a tool that is used as we
carry out the will of God. So if we are stewards; what is God doing
in the world that we need to be responsible for as the stewards
of God? Saint Paul states God's intention for us clearly He tells
us that "If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation;
everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ,
and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ
God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses
against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.
So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal
through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to
God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knoew no sin, so that
in him we might become the righteousness of God. (NRS 2 Corinthians
5:17-21)
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As stewards of Christ, we are collaborators and cooperators in continuing
the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. We are to proclaim the Kingdom
of God, teach serve and sanctify, even as Jesus did. His mission
becomes our mission as we take up our roll of setwards. Paul even
takes it one step further. He tells us that we are ambassadors for
Christ. An ambassador is the person that speaks for the head of
state in the country that they have been assigned to. This means
that as Chrisitians we actually speak for God. We have been entrusted
with a great honor and with a tremendous personal responsibility
as well. Stewardship is not about money; it is about faithfulness
and honor. God trusts us and is willing to allow us to take a part
in the redemption of the whole world. Stewards are not passive recipents
of God's gifts; we play a part on our own redemption and the redemption
of others. We do this by receiving the gifts of God gratefully and
using them to carry out the ministry that we have been entrusted
with. Every member of our Church has their own role to play as we
do the will of God in our community. We need to be aware of our
own gifts and talents and how they fit into the household of God.
Remember, what St. Paul tells us; it is important for a steward
to be found trustworthy. Take the time to find your place in the
ministry God has entrusted us with. God not only has a purpose for
the world, but for each of us who are part of the family of God
as well.
Stewardship is not just about money. It is about
the faith God has placed in each one of us an how we prove ourselves
as men and women of good character as we faithfully carry out the
trust that God has placed in us. Stewardship is what a mature Christian
life is about
Pastor Jim Bliss
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