Stewardship Temple Talk #1

(April 11/12, 2015)

Everything we have belongs to God

I can imagine some of you are asking yourself this question: “Why is Fr. Dave talking about Stewardship on the Sunday after Easter…we’ve never done that before here at Good Shepherd.  We usually talk about stewardship in the fall (after the World Series and before Thanksgiving)…so why are we listening to a Temple Talk on stewardship on this Sunday after Easter??”.    Well, it is a legitimate question and an important question.  So let me quickly respond.  Your Stewardship Committee has decided to hold the annual Stewardship campaign during the Easter season to send an important message: This is a new day and we are embracing a new approach to stewardship education here @ GSEC.  The paradigm is changing.  We are embracing an exciting new way of thinking about and talking about and doing stewardship here @ GSEC…it is called TRANSFORMATIONAL STEWARDSHIP and, beginning today and continuing for the next three weekends) I (or someone from the Stewardship Committee) will be presenting some of the foundational principles of this new way of thinking about and talking about and doing stewardship.

So this morning, I want to speak to you about the most foundational of the four foundational principles of TRANSFORMATIONAL STEWARDSHIP, and that is the belief that everything we have…absolutely EVERYTHING we have belongs to God!  Do you believe that?  I believe it with every fiber of my being…the house I live in is not mine…the car I drive is not mine…my savings account is not mine… my 401K is not mine! In fact, I am not an owner of anything that I have!  Everything I have (or ever will have) comes from God and belongs to God.   We are not OWNERS…we are STEWARDS.  And the difference between an owner and a steward is critically important to our understanding of Stewardship!  Owners manage and control their own stuff…STEWARDS, on the other hand, manage and control someone else’s stuff!  And if you believe this foundational principle, then the new paradigm of TRANSFORMATIONAL STEWARDSHIP will make sense to you.  If you don’t believe it (and I am sure there are those listening to me who do not believe it) that is ok…all I ask is that you prayerfully consider that it may be true and that you listen with an open heart and an open mind, and that you allow God the Holy Spirit to speak to you regarding your individual “Stewardship of Life”.   So that is foundational principle #1…EVERYTHING WE HAVE BELONGS TO GOD…we are not OWNERS…we are STEWARDS! Next week: Foundational Principle #2: STEWARDSHIP IS NOT FUNDRAISING!…Stay tuned!