At our Thanksgiving service Sunday, a young woman came up to me and said, “I am thankful for Union Church. I am thankful that we have a place to come and worship every Sunday.” My response, “I am thankful that the Filipino congregation prays for our entire church on a regular basis.” As individuals, and as a church, we have much to be thankful for.
Stewardship begins with gratitude. Stewardship is an acknowledgement that everything we have comes from God and belongs to God. The psalmist wrote: “The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters” Psalm 24:1-2.
Our calling is to be good stewards of all that God has given to us. Just like God called Adam and Eve to tend to the garden, we too are to be active gardeners. As I was reading this week, I read of the many gardens in which we are to steward:
• the garden of the world/ecology
• the garden of money/economics
• the garden of the city/nation
• the garden of our mind
• the garden of our body
• the garden of our moral choices
• the garden of our soul
• the garden of our time and talents
• the garden of our emotions/psychological well-being
Although this list is a bit overwhelming, and still not conclusive, it acts as a gentle reminder of the many spheres in which we can, and do, operate. With limited time and resources, it is important to consider how attentive we are to each garden. We steward for today, but like all good gardeners, we also steward for the future. Are we being good stewards of all that we have been given?
This is our last Sunday of a Stewardship focus and this Sunday we celebrate St. Andrews Sunday. We hope you can join us.
Blessings,
Pastor Michele