STEWARDSHIP THINGS ...
Stewardship ... 
... "Make It Simple" ...
... "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.
Gifts
May we break down boundaries, tear down walls, and BUILD on the foundation of GOODNESS inside each of us. May we look past differences, gain understanding, and embrace ACCEPTANCE. May we REACH OUT to each other, rather than resist. May we be better stewards of the earth, PROTECTING, nurturing and REPLENISHING the beauties of nature. May we practice GRATITUDE for all we have, rather than complain about our needs. may we seek CURES for the sick, HELP for the hungry, and LOVE for the lonely. May we SHARE our talents, GIVE our time, and TEACH our children. May we hold HOPE for the future very tenderly in our hearts and do all we can to BUILD for bright tomorrows. And may we LOVE with our whole hearts, as JESUS taught us, for that's the only way to love.
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.
LAW and GOSPEL
“The law of stewardship, which many know to be true enough, insists that human beings must be faithful trustees of the life of the world. But it is one thing to know this and another to do it. The gospel of stewardship begins by overcoming that within us which prevents our being stewards – the pride of imagining ourselves owners; the sloth of irresponsibility, neglect and apathy. And that gospel gives us the grace and courage that we need to exercise a love that is larger than our self-esteem or our anxiety about ourselves.”
-- Douglas John Hall, The Steward, p. 44
Stewarding Our Gifts - Called to Serve
Before I sign up for something here at Saint Stephen, I consider whether I am gifted for the task at hand – reading the lessons, gardening, ushering, teaching, and so on. Maybe I don’t qualify. But I might have this backwards.
Professor Rolf Jacobson at Luther Seminary writes: "The call to be a steward of God works differently than the advice we would receive from a career or guidance counselor. Secular career counseling tends to reason from 'gifts' to 'job.' First you determine the gifts you already have, then you discern which career best fits you.
In the Lord’s household, following the logic of the cross, career counseling works backwards. First God calls, and then God supplies the gifts necessary. First God commissions for a task, and then God provides the spiritual gifts to help see that the task is accomplished. If we reason only from what gifts we already possess, then we believe in a God who only works in the past. But we should trust that God will continue to work in the future, and we trust that God will provide the gifts necessary to accomplish what God intends.
Lets see if we can hear the call when we look for opportunities on the sign-up sheet at church.
— Richard Schlake
Stewardship - I Get It!
OK, Christmas is over; the gifting and re-gifting are over and the decorations are coming down and it's time for the New Year. But, wait! Not so fast!. Epiphany is coming: the 12th day of Christmas, the manifestation of Jesus Christ to all of humankind is approaching! It is time for the "I get it” moment when Jesus is revealed to us under the star.
Sometimes I think stewardship needs an epiphany moment. I used to think stewardship was all about raising money. But the goal of stewardship is really all about helping us “get it.” The true meaning of stewardship is how we live our lives — how we tend our relationships and our health, how we manage our blessings, and how we take care of our neighbor and our planet earth. Now I think I “get it” - stewardship transforms us and releases us from the power of money and "stuff." It makes us free to encounter Jesus Christ through an “aha!” moment, and to respond to his “follow me” and “live like me” invitation.
May your New Year 2011 be much blessed!
— Richard Schlake
Being Part of the Picture
How can we be part of the picture? What does being part of the picture mean to all of us at Saint Stephen? What is each of our callings? How will we serve our God in this ministry? God gave each of us talent -- will we use this talent to serve on council, teach Sunday School, sing in the choir, or serve on one of our ministry teams, or .... ? We may find we have talent that we didn’t realize that we had, but God knows.
So! how WILL we serve our community? Will we help at the food pantry (Open Arms), or help someone in need in our community or neighborhood? Will we share our financial blessings generously with our God?
May each of us at Saint Stephen think and pray about our calling, be courageous in trying something new, and serve our God with action.
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
(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
