Growing in Grace - A Season of Stewardship
Grace - God's favor towards us, unearned and undeserved.
Our parish is growing, each week more and more of the faithful are present at worship. In the pews are familiar faces as well as "new" faces. There is new energy around here, an abundant sense of joy, exemplified by the smiling faces and laughter that echoes throughout our halls. There is something positive happening here, something that speaks to folks and nourishes them, something that enlightens their minds and stirs their hearts. That something is a joyful response to God's Grace.
Recognizing God's Grace in our lives is easy sometimes. Grace can be overt, such as I have just described. At other times, finding God's Grace in everyday and ordinary time can be difficult leading us to wonder:
Where is God on a daily basis?
How do you experience God's Grace day in and day out?
When it comes to stewardship what factors influence your response?
Do you respond out of a perceived need, out of gratitude, because you want to do your part, give your fair share, or out of duty?
Has the concept of stewardship as time, talent, and treasure lost meaning for you?
Ultimately, what does it mean to be a steward?
These are some of the questions that I want us to explore through prayer and action over the next six weeks as a way of saying "goodbye" to the old year and "hello" to the new year. Over next six weeks I invite each you to enter into a "Season of Stewardship" examining God's Grace in your lives and discerning how to respond. Our theme for this season will be "Growing in Grace." The vision I have for this season is to spend intentional time praying, exploring, and responding to the call that God has made to us, to care for His creation offering ourselves, our souls, and bodies, to be a holy and living response ever growing in grace.
Working Definition of Christian Stewardship
Christian stewardship is the 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;
Sharing 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.
Stewardship is:
Using the gifts God has given us, to do the work God is calling us to do.
What I do, with all that I have, after I say, "I believe."
