The Working Definition of Christian Stewardship
Christian stewardship is grateful and responsible use of God's gifts in the light of God's purpose as revealed in Jesus Christ. Christian stewards, empowered by the Holy Spirit, commit themselves to conscious, purposeful decisions. Stewardship is lived out in: living and telling the Good News; haring God in seeking justice, peace, and the integrity of creation in an interdependent universe; wisely employing God-given human resources, abilities, and relationships; sharing the material resources we hold and giving them in service, justice, and compassion; providing for future generations, sharing in the life, worship, and responsible stewardship of the Church and of its mission. Both for the individual and for the community, stewardship is a joyful act for the sake of God's world. This definition comes from the Standing Rules of the Ecumenical Stewardship Center. The Episcopal Church is a founding member of this group and remains active in its continuing work.
Stewardship has also been defined as: What I do, with all that I have, after I say, "I believe." and Using the gifts God has given us, to do the work God is calling us to do.
Growing in Grace - A Season of Stewardship
(read earlier articles here)
Moving from the Fields into the Pines: Saying Goodbye as Stewardship
Download a printer friendly copy of this meditation here
Tom Smith, the saint I spoke of in my sermon on Sunday was laid to rest on Monday afternoon. It was a funeral that I did not want to attend because I did not want to believe that Tom had passed on. On Monday Susan and I both left work early and met at the house to travel together to Tom’s funeral at St. Martin’s in the Fields.
When we arrived at the church the parking lot of the church was all ready full but we managed to find a parking spot near the rear exit to the church. Getting out of my truck I began to feel my stomach turning, I felt sick inside. As I made my way toward the church entrance I was thinking of Teresa and how she would manage with out him, they were best friends. I thought of his children and the grandchildren whom Tom used to play with on a regular basis. What a loss for those let in his wake including St. Martin in the Fields.
St. Martin’s holds a special place in our memory, we served there for six years to the day, and it was an excellent parish to land in following seminary. I began my ministry there as a transitional Deacon following graduation from seminary and was ordained priest six months later. I first celebrated the Holy Eucharist in the sanctuary. When Elizabeth was born at twenty-eight weeks weighing two pounds four ounces, the parish rallied around us supporting us with prayers and sustenance for many months. Eighteen months later Kathryn was born following six months of bed rest for Susan. The bed rest was stressful, but not nearly as stressful as the renovation we undertook to our “love shack” house bought during the real estate craze of the late nineteen nineties. Both Elizabeth and Kathryn were baptized there, and Quincy attended St. Martin’s school for a total of seven years. Throughout those major life events, the people of St. Martin’s were there for us, they encircled us, surrounded us, and gave us strength (without knowing it) through their faithful service to their parish.
There is no doubt in my mind that Tom received the same care and compassion as we did during our time there.
As we approached the church, my conscious thoughts were of Tom and his family but crossing over the threshold into the sanctuary and setting foot upon the navy blue carpet that covers the floors the memories came flooding back. The space was pretty much exactly the same, everything was in the same place, as if it had been frozen in time. The heavy white marble font with its grey veins spreading throughout the rock stands where it did ten years ago. It was at that font that Elizabeth had been baptized some eight months after her tenuous birth. The altar, the candle stands, the rude screen, separating the choir from the rest of the congregation, the pulpit, and lectern, all were in place, just as they were the day we left. I was looking into our past, stepping back in time, remembering various events, when I began to notice all those familiar faces smiling at us from the pews, their names coming back to me accompanied by the memories I have of them.
Ushers bulletins in hand, left their posts by the doors to shake our hands and welcome us. The Daughters of Kings wearing their blue smocks and their silver pins left their assigned funeral posts to hug Susan. One woman without saying a word walked right up to me, opened her arms wide and embraced me with a long hug, which I imagine momma’s and spouses give soldiers returning home from duty. It was a sort of homecoming for Susan and me, it was the first time we had back since we left, it was, as I said it was a sort of homecoming, but this reunion was a different kind of celebration.
Following the warm whispers of welcome, we took our place before some folding chairs that had been brought into the sanctuary and shortly thereafter the organ broke the silence. The crucifer, a man by the name of Phil, lifted that heavy brass cross high above his head, higher than I have ever witnessed any acolyte raise a cross, in witness and honor to Tom. As Phil lead the procession from the font at the rear of the church to the altar the congregation sang, For All the Saints.
As I sang this familiar hymn, I began to think of you all, of St. Andrew’s in the Pines. I began to pray for us, for all the familiar faces that we have come to know in such a short time, the important work we have done together, the ways in which we have encircled one another over the past year. Visiting St. Martin’s made me realize what an impact we will continue to have upon one another as our procession moves forward over the coming years. I thought of you all, I thought about how many times we will gather in our familiar sanctuary to celebrate the life of a soul who has touched us, one who has become a saint in our midst. It was a profound moment taking me from the fields where I began my ministry to the pines where I serve with you.
The funeral was a fitting tribute to Tom; the preacher was the priest I spoke of on Sunday, the one who had gone to the hospital to visit Tom when his first wife was dying. His stepdaughter spoke and so did his grandchildren sharing important memories about Poppa Tom. It seemed to be a well thought out funeral and it got me to thinking about how planning for the end of our earthly pilgrimage is an act of stewardship that reaches beyond the grave.
Give rest, O Christ, to thy servant with thy saints,
Where sorrow and pain are no more,
Neither sighing, but life everlasting.
Thou only art immortal, the creator and maker of mankind;
and we are mortal, formed of the earth, and unto earth shall we return.
For so thou didst ordain when thou created me, saying,
“Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” All we go down to dust;
yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Items to pray about:
It seems odd to associate the end of our earthly pilgrimage with stewardship, but it very important to plan for what is inevitable. Planning for your funeral and your estate are important acts of stewardship that I invite you to spend some time reflecting upon. Tom had some time before he died to arrange things, but not all of us will be afforded that luxury so it is important to think about how you want things handled. By Advent, God willing and the creek don’t rise (although we want the creek to rise) I will have on our website forms to assist you in planning your funeral. The forms will include the your choices for rites, readings, and hymns. Other questions to consider include:
Do you know where your final resting place will be?
Do you desire to be cremated or buried in a casket?
Are there pallbearers you wish to have?
Do you have a hymn that is special to you?
Do you prefer Rite I or Rite II?
Do you wish for the Holy Eucharist to be celebrated?
Do you wish for a homily to be preached?
Is you will up to date? I would ask you all make a commitment to update your wills taking care to address not only issues surrounding your estate, but end of life issues as well.
A health care proxy is easy to obtain and fill out http://www.noah-health.org/en/rights/endoflife/adforms.html. A health care proxy ensures that your family members are aware of wishes as desires should they be faced with difficult decisions surrounding your health and well being. My old boss made Susan and I sit through his pre-baptism ritual wherein he made a pitch to all the parents and Godparents for executing a will and keeping wills up to date. He used to say, “If you want to get back at your family, don’t have a will.” Further, he suggested that individuals think of wills as ongoing and living documents to be amended on a regular basis rather than a once and done event in your life.
Have you contemplated a gift to St. Andrew’s in the Pines in your estate? Gifts to St. Andrew’s give your estate tax advantages while assisting the church with its mission and ministry. You can even designate how you want the funds to be used http://www.episcopalatlanta.org/plangive/index.html
Learn about Ethical Wills
"There ought to be an organization that could set great objectives for the work of the Christian Church. The difficulty with the Church is that too many people have great convictions about little things, and it is time that we have great convictions about great things."
The Rt. Rev. Henry Knox Sherrill, Founder
Episcopal Church Foundation, 1949
