All Things Come of Thee O Lord...

"Stewardship" is a word that sometimes strikes fear and not just a little trembling in the hearts of the faithful.  All one has to do is turn to any one of the numerous cable news channels at any given moment during the day, and if they are not talking about money, you can at least check one of the many "tickers" at the top or bottom of the screen to see how the markets are doing.  If the market is up or down significantly, then you can bet, they're talking about it.  On commercial breaks, if the advertisement is not for an institution that wants to help us invest or grow our financial portfolio, it's one that wants to help us spend from our financial portfolio.  If you have not registered your phone number with the government's Do Not Call registry, then your phone rings several times a day with offers to help separate you from your money.  Every single day, from the moment we get out of bed til we go to sleep that night, someone is talking to us directly or indirectly about our money and how we should spend it.  It's no wonder then that the word "stewardship" might bring up feelings of guilt or anxiety.

The key to understanding Stewardship though is to not look at it as another segment of "your" money under commercial seige.  Stewardship begins when we realize that all we have comes from God, and God wants us to keep 90% of what we've been given.  Giving back to God is a joyful expression of thanksgiving for the many blessings bestowed upon us through Grace and Mercy; and it is something we practice every day, not just during a Stewardship or Capital Campaign.

10% of our income is considered the Biblical standard of giving.  Perhaps you are already doing this and understand the incomparable feeling of joy and blessings associated with doing so.  On the other hand, perhaps you have been giving, but are not aware of the percentage you are giving.  Proportional giving is an important aspect of spiritual growth.  Take time to consider your giving, is it 1%, 5%,10%, or is it more or less?  Wherever you may be in terms of proportional giving, set a goal.  For instance, if you're giving 3%, consider increasing that number to 5% this year.  Then consider establishing 10% as your final goal and the amount of time it will take for you to get there.  Over the years, as I've done this and have spoken to others who do this, they are overwhelmed as am I with the richness this brings to our spiritual lives.  God blesses our faithfulness, and there is no greater dividend than that!

When you return God's blessings to the Church in the form of a pledge, you are responding to a generosity beyond our imagining.  This year, we will gather at special Stewardship Dinners to celebrate God's blessings at St. Luke's, and discuss how we might be even better stewards of those gifts.  We will eat, talk and as always, laugh...and most of all we will respond to God by saying, "And of thine own have we given Thee."