| Church calendar • Thurs. Nov. 20 — Monthly Mobile Food Pantry (3 p.m.)
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| Bible readings |
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• Sun. Nov. 16 | |||
• Thurs.
FROM PASTOR MAC
A man named Herman Neutic
I remember in seminary there were so many words I was unfamiliar with, so my Christian dictionary found a permanent residence in my lap. In one of my classes "Christian Thought," my professor kept referring to this "Herman Neutic" who worked in the area of Biblical interpretation.
Not sure I understood, I went to our Candler library and for the life of me, there was no one by that name to be found. So before class the next week I asked Dr. Hackett to give me more information on this guy. He just smiled, shook his head, and said he was not talking about a person named "Herman Neutic," rather the term "hermeneutic," (the study of those rules that govern interpretation of the entire biblical text).
Well, I think sometimes when we preachers use terms in the church like "stewardship," we leave our congregations with more questions than answers. So I thought it would be a good idea to say here how the Bible defines it.
The Bible defines "stewardship" as our grateful response to God's love and mercy. It understands all of life — what we have, what we are, what we are becoming — as a gift from God. ("Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand" — 1 Chron. 29:14.)
That must mean God has entrusted us to do something for Him here on Earth, don't you think?
Reflect back to Genesis 1:26 where God said: "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let him have dominion over all the earth."
This would mean in our act of "stewardship" as individuals, we become God’s way of tending to and looking after His creation — of being His hands and feet. Out of our blessings of gifts and graces, God then is entrusting us to be about...
- Developing our gifts and talents
- Giving of a portion of our time
- Taking care of our minds and bodies
- Sharing our monetary treasures/resources
- Restoring and protecting our environment
- Listening and caring for those in need
- Nurturing our relationships with family, friends, and our neighbors
- Spreading the Good News of salvation for all people, made possible through Jesus Christ.
These are some of the ways we can be responsible participates as stewards of God’s creation — how we are able to glorify God, and become our best selves. That's the work and mission of the Christian faith, isn't it?
As you fill out a pledge card coming to you in the mail this week, remember "stewardship" is not built on the need of the church to receive, but rather on the biblical understanding of the need of the giver (you and me!) to give as a part of our own spiritual development and our Christian commitment.
May your financial and service commitments align with how God is calling you at this time in your life. For every step you make in faith beyond your current level of giving, God will bless it, break it, and make it more.
Moreover, God will make you more, because your "stewardship" response is simply a way for God to come close to you — to bless and keep you.
