Stewardshipthings - Saint Stephen Lutheran Church

STEWARDSHIP THINGS ...

Stewardship ...

... "Make It Simple" ...

The Good News of Stewardship at St. Stephen ...

As baptized Christians rooted in the Lutheran heritage, we hold the witness of the Scripture as authoritative and our norm for proclamation, faith and life. We view the Biblical steward as a superior servant who has management responsibilities over the property/holdings of another (i.e., God). (Genesis 43 and 44)

We believe our place in the world is one of stewardship, not ownership. We believe as a matter of faith that everything we are and everything we have belongs to God because God created all that there is. Each human being has been entrusted with great power and great responsibility as a created co-creator.
We believe that stewardship allows us to grow in our relationship with Jesus through the use of time, talent, and finances that God has entrusted to us. Living as a faithful steward is a core ingredient of our baptismal covenant and identity—our Christian walk.
We believe that how we steward (i.e., manage) our time, talent and money, our relationships, our bodies, and this earth, will impact us and our community—and ultimately, our relationship with God
We believe that stewardship is ultimately giving our (whole) selves to God in praise and thanksgiving as we use all that God has entrusted to us in faithful and trustworthy ways.
We view this world as God’s good creation, and we are grateful to be a part of it. (Genesis 1:31; Psalm 24:1)
We know that God cares for us and all that God has made, and we are ready and willing to let God rule our lives. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18; Matthew 6:25)
We trust God to provide us with whatever is needed to be content. (Philippians 4:11-12; John 14:27)
We believe that stewardship is a way of life, an ordering of our lives to share God’s abundance.

More Blessed to Give ...

One of the principles of the Christian life is this: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." But have you ever asked yourself why this is true?

We give because God first gave to us. God is the Supreme Giver as God opens God's bountiful storehouse of blessings and provides for us again and again. Or, as James 1:17 expresses it so clearly, "Every generous act of giving ... is from above, coming down from the Father of lights."

Chuck Swindoll listed a few reasons why it is more blessed to give than to receive. He said, "Giving encourages unselfishness within us. Giving brings others needed relief and encouragement. Giving forces us out of our own tight-radius world. Giving keeps us from becoming too attached to material things. Giving models the life Christ lived. Giving teaches us the value of servant-hood. Giving makes us more cheerful, caring people. Giving prompts greater sensitivity toward others. Giving provides an example for others to follow."

We do not give to get. We give because God first gave to us. We have learned that we cannot out-give God. In God's unique accounting system, God never divides–God always multiplies.

Stewardship of the Body ...

In being a good steward of of our bodies, one thing we should be paying attention to, because it is such a big part of our lives, is healthy eating. According to Sara Swiderski, Senior Clinical Dietician at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL, "...the food you eat affects you. It's true that you are whate you eat." Here are a few links, courtesy of Advocate Health Care, to websites and information about healthy nutrition:

• http://www.advocatehealth.com/system/info/library/articles/recipe/
(Advocate healthy eating information)
• http://www2.niddk.nih.gov/HealthEducation/HealthNutrition.htm
(National Inst. of Diabetes/Digestive/Kidney Diseases)
• http://pediatrics.about.com/od/fastfoodnutritionfacts/Fast_Food_Nutrition_Facts.htm
(Nutrition Facts: Fast Food Restaurants)
• eatright.org

A Helpful Tool ...

The Three Ts and More

How do you describe stewardship? One of the dictionary’s definitions of a steward is, “A person entrusted with the management of estates or affairs not his own.” Wow! Everything we have comes from God, and we have been entrusted to manage what God has given to us in a way that would be pleasing to Him. So how are we doing?

First of all, we are residents of this planet which God created. So are we good stewards of the earth? Are we doing everything in our power to help manage the earth as God expects?

When we discuss stewardship in the church, we think of the three Ts: Time, Talent and Treasure. These are all gifts from God, entrusted to our management. Do we use them the way God wants us to?

Time. For some of us there’s never enough time to do everything required of us; for others, the hours drag on endlessly with nothing to fill the emptiness. Time is understandably taken up by hundreds of activities necessary for our and our family’s survival and happiness. But do we spend way too much time on television, talking, texting, twitting, or just twiddling our thumbs?

Talent. We all have a multitude of talents, some we haven’t yet discovered. We first use our talents to provide for our families by our work, and then to provide recreation for ourselves and our loved ones. Do we share those talents with our church and community as we should? We need to rediscover these God-given talents, and USE THEM in ways that are pleasing to God.

Treasure. Our treasures are also used to provide for our families’ survival and recreation. Rather than getting more “stuff,” let us remember to use our treasures wisely, always helping our neighbors and all of God’s people.

So, do we save enough of our time, talent and treasures for God‘s work? The Bible says we should first love God, and then love our neighbors as ourselves. Therefore, it follows that our time, talents and treasures are to be used by us, as disciples of Jesus, to further his work, and to minister to our neighbors.

Our time on this earth is short. If we haven’t already started, we need to begin now to be faithful stewards of the gifts God has provided. May God bless us all with an abundance of earthly gifts to share with others.

Contributed by E. Dellacecca