Stewardship: Simply Being Alive
The 2020 Stewardship Campaign is off and running! Throughout the coming weeks, you will be hearing from members about different aspects of stewardship. Each week you will also receive a resource to use as a devotional to dive deeper into what it means to be good stewards outside of the church walls. Besides the materials that will be provided for adults, children and youth will also be sent some resources to help them and you as a family to learn more together!
Reflective Threads # 3079
Sabbath greetings Guidepost buddies
What is giving all about?
Hear the Message from Luke 6:38:
‘Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’
And Acts 20:35:
‘In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than receive.”’
And 2 Corinthians 9:7:
‘Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.’
“Giving is not about making a donation. It’s about making a difference.” Kathy Coloin
“It’s not about how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” Mother Teresa
“In the end it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished. It’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.” Denzel Washington
“There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.” Khalil Gibran
“Selfless giving is the art of living.” Frederick Lenz
Having been the recipient of so much over the years, I am finding myself feeling overwhelmed by the generous nature of those that God has placed in my life. What particularly comes to mind this morning is how the children’s ministry that I ran for over twenty years was supported exactly when it was needed. One individual continually provided extra funds to support the staff every year and enabled me to give the staff bonuses on a rather regular basis. A young family purchased a needed copy machine and a new and safer playground. And yet another member of my church gave us a check for $1,000.00. A few years after that gift, I had the opportunity to visit this member in their home and realized how very modestly they lived and how stunning their gift was. And as one might imagine, there were a significant number of families who found themselves unable to pay the needed tuition for attending our school. One mother who was in a financial tight place, made a series of flannel figures that enriched our teaching. Each time I used her gift, I thought of her.
All of this is shared as the recipient. I do not know what these benefactors experienced as the giver. As I ponder each of them individually, it is my hope that each person received the deep and abiding JOY of giving for that is what God offers me.
“If the whole world followed you, followed you to the letter - tell me - if it followed you, would the world be better?” Author unknown
Submitted by Suzanne Deboer
Acting Together
Use this Bible Study outline to take participants deep into the scriptural basis for the theme “Acting Together,” from John 13:34-35. Choose from among the discussion questions—and possible activities—to form a plan of guided sharing that will help participants see God’s word as valuable for their daily living, and invite them into both simplicity and generosity.
The attached document will ask for you to watch a video:
To read more about stewardship, download the resource below. This is where today's devotional was adapted from: Make It Simple.
For the Kids...
To read about how to help kids understand stewardship, check out this Living Lutheran article called "Helping kids learn stewardship".
Don't forget!
Pledges are being made online this year. Please click HERE to complete yours!