June 2010
“June—what a crazy month!”
June used to be the most popular month for weddings so much so that “June brides” became a part of our vocabulary. Now there may be months when more weddings take place, but June is still a hectic, busy month. Not only are there weddings, but there are also graduations, vacations, plans for vacations and other summer activities. So much happens that it can get overwhelming and take the joy out of such a special month.
The same thing can be true of our lives as God’s stewards. When we starting thinking about stewardship as the managing of all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes, we can also get overwhelmed. Stewardship is not just about time, talents and treasure [the well-known three T’s] but also about our stewardship of sharing the good news of Jesus, the building and maintaining of relationships, the care of our bodies, the care of God’s creation, and so much more. The challenge of being a good steward of all that God has entrusted to us can be so big that we might be tempted to simply give up! But, to do so would rob us of some of life’s greatest joys!
Stewardship is not meant to be an overwhelming thing but rather the best way to live in this world. People seek purpose and meaning in their lives. They want to make a difference! They want their lives to be bigger than themselves. Being God’s redeemed stewards is one of the best ways for bringing that real meaning and purpose to our lives. It helps us to identify who and whose we are. We are God’s redeemed stewards who have been chosen and equipped to manage all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes. Can anything be better than that? Not for people who appreciate the great sacrifice that Jesus made to set us free from our sinful and selfish condition and help us to be the children of God in thoughts, words and actions.
St. Paul, wrote these words to Titus and us: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘no’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”
Pax,
Pastor Tom
May 2010
Dear friend in Christ,
Here are some springtime thoughts on Christian stewardship adapted from the LCMS stewardship website.
In the month of May in many parts of our country the fields, gardens and orchards are green and growing, giving us the promise that seedtime and harvest will again prevail, and with God’s blessing the earth will yield its increase and provide food for all God’s creatures. According to God’s design the sun will warm the fertile soil, the rains will cause the seeds to sprout and grow into healthy, productive plants, vines, trees and bushes. After all of April’s showers, May’s blooms and flowers are finally showing themselves.
Soon, the church will celebrate a different kind of “spring flowers” day. Pentecost Day reminds us of when the Holy Spirit descended upon the first apostles and empowered them to be renewed servants of Jesus who became bold and effective witnesses of the good news of salvation in Christ Jesus. Pentecost Day also reminds us of the new birth of faith in us through the marvelous, yet mysterious, working of the Holy Spirit. For most of us that started with our baptisms. That new life continues as the Holy Spirit works through His Word and the sacrament of Holy Communion to strengthen and equip us to be effective stewards. As God’s stewards we have the promise that the Holy Spirit empowers us to do what we otherwise could not do.
The seventh Biblical Stewardship Principle of the LCMS states that “God’s stewards are served and serving.” This means that “God’s stewards recognize that their stewardship involves a Gospel-powered style of life which is demonstrated in servanthood within all the arenas of life.” By the grace of God we are reminded that we are to serve our Lord with personal acts of compassion and service as well as financial gifts. Some people seem inclined to think that stewardship is just about money. Yes, it is about money and how we manage it, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. Stewardship involves our wise management and use of all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes.
What a blessing and encouragement it is to know and believe that Christ died for us, rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven as the divine conqueror of sin, death and the devil, and now sends His Holy Spirit to be the Lord and Giver of life. May the Holy Spirit enable us to use our time, talents, relationships, treasure and all the other special gifts and blessings in a way that honors our God and blesses our neighbors.
In Christ,
Pastor Norris
April 2010
“April showers bring May flowers” is an old saying that is fairly well known to adults and children as well. It is very true that God blesses His creation with rain which causes seeds to sprout and grow upon the earth. This blessing of rain is something good that God lavishes upon all people, regardless of whether or not they are believers in Jesus as their Savior. And, because of the blessing of rain, seedtime and harvest will prevail and the earth will yield its increase and provide food for all God’s creatures. Not only does rain bring forth flowers but also the fruits and grains from gardens, vineyards, orchards and fields. God is good and His mercy endures forever. His rain will come not only in April but throughout the growing season.
We rejoice and are glad that God takes such bountiful care of our physical needs. That is important, but in April we will celebrate a special day which reminds us that God also takes care of all our spiritual needs. That day is Easter, a day set aside to celebrate the victory of Jesus over sin, death and the devil. As the Bible teaches, because He lives we shall also live. What great, good news that is to celebrate and share with others who also need to hear some good news.
Why does God lavish such rich physical blessings upon us? Dr. Martin Luther explains it so well when in the Small Catechism he wrote: “All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true!”
Why does God lavish upon us such rich spiritual blessings because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus? Again, in the Small Catechism Luther wrote: “that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true!”
God lavishes His rich blessings upon us to manage and use in ways that honor Him and bless others as well as ourselves. This is what we mean when we talk about Christian stewardship. God’s stewards freely and joyfully manage all of life and life’s resources for His purposes. This management includes taking care of God’s creation so that the physical needs of all God’s creatures are satisfied. It also includes sharing the good news of hope and salvation through Jesus who died for us and rose again.
A blessed Easter to you all!
March 2010
In a recent article, Dr. Dale Meyer, President of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and formerly speaker of the Lutheran Hour, offered the following…
“Monday most automakers reported 30% drops in sales during December, with Hyundai off 48% and Chrysler 51%. Oil is going back up and a gallon of gas may soon be back at $2 (Pr. Tom notes: That’s St. Louis money!). We’re poorer than we used to be.
“It’s easy to overlook the obvious. When Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor,” He was speaking to His disciples, not to the general population (Luke 6:20). Yes, God loves all people but Jesus doesn’t say “Blessed” to all Americans in this recession but only to His followers. How’s that?
“Because His followers are reminded what we’ve professed all along, that ultimately we have zilch, nada, nichts, nothing. America is like the prodigal son, broke after a spending spree, wallowing in recession. But the prodigal “came to his senses” and said, “I will set out and go back to my father” (Luke 15:17-18). A Christian identifies with that. Getting poorer is reminding us that we have nothing of our own, no hidden accounts that permit us not to need God. That means that wondering when the economy will come back is off the mark, at least faith-wise.”
So here’s a question to meditate upon . . . “How does the fact that God owns everything and we own nothing help in an economic downturn?”
Pax,
Pastor Tom
February 2010
On February 17, we will join Christians around the world in observing the season of Lent. Lent is intended to be a deeply spiritual time to reflect on the tremendous love and sacrifice of Jesus for us so that we might have forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. The price of our redemption was overwhelming. As Dr. Martin Luther said in explaining the second article of the Apostles Creed, ”Jesus, my Lord, has redeemed me a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.” As Jesus Himself said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13 NIV)
Dr. Luther went on with his explanation to state that Jesus made this supreme sacrifice “so that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true!”
In Jesus we have been redeemed from all sins, including the sin of selfishly wanting to use all of God’s blessings for our own needs and wants rather than using them to His glory and the welfare of our neighbor. Selfishness is not part of good stewardship! Here is a definition of good and godly stewardship: “God’s redeemed stewards, in cooperation with and encouragement from fellow redeemed stewards, freely and joyfully manage all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes.”
Lent provides us with an excellent opportunity to reflect on what is really important and worth spending our lives and resources on. During this 2010 season of Lent may God’s Holy Spirit help us to understand that God wants to use us as instruments in His hands to touch the lives of others in ways that make an eternal difference. As we are led to accept this truth we will better understand what it means to use our time, our skills and talents, and our financial resources in loving and sacrificial ways.
May the love and sacrifice of Jesus so impress us that we will want to reach out in loving and sacrificial ways.
“God’s redeemed and maturing stewards do the right things for the right reasons and strive for excellence in all they do.”
(adapted from the LCMS website)
Pax,
Pastor Tom