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Sunday, May 20, 2:36 am
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STEWARDSHIP THOUGHTS FOR SEPTEMBER
“CONSECRATION CELEBRATION IS COMING”
Congregations that approach financial
stewardship from a biblical perspective do not
view the money Christians give to their church
merely as a way to pay its bills. Rather, such
congregations see financial contributions as a
way to help people grow spiritually in their
relationship with God by supporting their
church’s mission and ministry with a percentage of their
incomes.
Our congregation’s Board of Stewardship has selected
the New Consecration Sunday Stewardship Program as a way to
teach the biblical and spiritual principles of generous giving in
our stewardship education emphasis this year.
New Consecration Sunday, which will be on October 23
& 24, 2010, is based on the biblical philosophy of the need of
the giver to give for his or her own spiritual development,
rather than on the need of the church to receive. Instead of
treating people like members of a social club who should pay
dues, we will treat people like followers of Jesus Christ who
want to give unselfishly as an act of discipleship. New
Consecration Sunday encourages people toward proportionate
and systematic giving in response to the question, ?What
percentage of my income is God calling me to give?? During
Saturday evening worship or Sunday morning worship at
Consecration Celebration, we are asking our attendees and
members to make their financial commitments to our church’s
missionary, benevolent, and educational ministries in this
community and around the world.
Every attendee and members who completes an
Estimate of Giving Card does so voluntarily by attending either
the Saturday evening worship or Sunday morning worship on
Consecration Celebration. We urge people to attend who feel
strongly opposed to completing a card. The procedure is done
in such a way that no one feels personal embarrassment if he
or she chooses not to fill out a card.
We will do no home solicitation to ask people to
complete cards. During the Saturday evening worship or Sunday
morning worship our guest leader will conduct a brief period of
instruction and inspiration, climaxed by members making their
commitments as a confidential act of worship.
We will encourage participation in Consecration
Celebration events through the Consecration Celebration team
and Board of Stewardship members. Since we will make no
follow-up visits to ask people to complete their cards, we will
make every effort to inform, inspire, and commit everyone to
attend Consecration Sunday worship. Thanks in advance for
your enthusiastic participation in Consecration Celebration
events.
Consecration Chairman, Glen Rolf, Sr.
“July is Freedom Month”
July 4th, 1776 was a memorable day in the history of the United States of America. On that day, the founding fathers of our nation declared their independence from England and English rule. Each year we pause to remember the freedoms we enjoy and give thanks for all these brave men and women from 1776 to this date who have risked their lives for the sake of freedom and independence. WE enjoy the freedom of electing our national, state, local, leaders. In November, we will have the opportunity to exercise that freedom one more time. It is our privilege and duty to vote whenever we have the opportunity. History teaches us that national apathy has destroyed numerous empires and America can also flounder and fail of we citizens do not exercise our freedoms in a responsible way.
Not only are we citizens of probably the greatest nation in the history of mankind, but we are also citizens of the Kingdom of God! Because of that citizenship. we enjoy countless freedoms and blessings, like the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. These freedoms and blessings, like the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. These freedoms and blessing come to us at great cost—not on our part, but on the part of our gracious Savior Jesus who offered Himself up to death as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Even though we can never adequately express our thanks to Jesus, we can by the power of the Holy Spirit live each day more and more like the children of God. In Colossians 3:12-17, we find a list of virtues that are appropriate for us as God’s children.
God’s children are stewards or managers of the many blessings that God has bestowed upon us. Stewardships not meant to be an oppressive response to God’s grace and goodness. In our church we have defined stewardship this way. “Christian stewardship is the free and joyous activity of the child of God and God’s family, the church, in managing all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes. “ What a beautiful definition for our Christian stewardship!
Because Christ has redeemed us to be the children of God and heirs of salvation, we have the privilege and responsibility to give evidence of this precious freedom through our words and actions. Jesus changes everything in our lives (relationships, use of money, time, talents, and so much more) so that we practice our stewardship not in order to gain salvation, but rather as a free and joyous response because of what God has already done for us through the sacrifice of Jesus and the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
What a joy to freely and joyfully practice Christian stewardship not because we have to but because we get to! Enjoy your freedom as a citizen of the United States of America and a citizen of the kingdom of God and let your life show it!
Glen and Audrey Rolf, Co-Chairmen Board of Stewardship
From LCMS “Steward CAST”
In March we observe the beginning of spring, that season of the year in which the plants that lay dormant during the winter begin to grow again. It is also a day on which there is balance—twelve hours of sunshine and twelve hours of darkness. Spring is a good reminder of these two important things about stewardship—newness and balance! By God’s grace in Jesus Christ we are freed from the failures of the past and freed to live in the present with purpose and look to the future with hope. How refreshing a new start is! Balance is the other important thing associated with wise Christian stewardship. The Rich Fool in Luke 12:13-21 lost his stewardship balance and the result was disastrous. He already had more than enough to meet his personal needs and when he was blessed with even more he decided to tear down his barns and build larger ones where he could store up all his goods for himself and take life easy with the attitude of “eat, drink and be merry.” Jesus called him a fool because he tried to store up riches for himself but was not rich toward God. We in the United States of America live in a very materialistic culture. There is the emphasis on getting ahead, building a solid nest egg and saving up for retirement. Now, if these things were kept in a good Christian balance, the picture would not be so bad. The danger is that we try to keep all these material things for ourselves with too little concern about the purposes of God or the needs of others. The Rich Fool had so much he could have at least shared his excess with others in need. He could also have generously given for the support of the “church” of his day. If he had done that then all would have benefited, including him. But he didn’t and he died a lost and condemned sinner. How can we take advantage of new starts in stewardship and maintain a good balance as we manage the material riches God pours down upon us? One simple plan for keeping balance is to adopt and follow the 1-1-8 principle. This plan involves giving the first 10% to God in response to His great love for us and for the support of His work in this world, then saving or investing the next 10% and finally living on the remaining 80%. Mathematically it adds up perfectly. In practice it can be a real challenge, one that seems unreachable to many who may currently be trying to live on 100% (or more) of their income. It may not work for everyone to adopt the 1-1-8 plan immediately, but what joy God’s people can experience as they move in that new direction for balance. Oh, by the way, many Christian stewards have learned from experience that they can give more than 10%, save even more than 10% and live very comfortably on less than 80%. May God grant to all of us His grace, good judgment and discipline to take advantage of each new start and manage our material blessings in a way that honors Him, blesses others and refreshes us! Audrey Rolf, Chairman Board of Stewardship From LCMS “Steward CAST”
On February 17th we will join Christians around the world in observing the season of Lent. Lent is a deeply spiritual time as we reflect on the tremendous love and sacrifice of Jesus for us so that we might have forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. The price of our redemption was overwhelming. As Dr. Martin Luther said in explaining the second article of the Apostles Creed “Jesus, my Lord, has redeemed me a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.” As Jesus Himself said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13 NIV)
Dr. Luther went on with his explanation to state that Jesus made this supreme sacrifice “so that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true!”
In Jesus we have been redeemed from all sins, including the sin of selfishly wanting to use all of God’s blessings for our own needs and wants rather than using them to His glory and the welfare of our neighbor. Selfishness is not part of good stewardship! Here is a definition of good and godly stewardship: “God’s redeemed stewards, in cooperation with and encouragement from fellow redeemed stewards, freely and joyfully manage all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes.”
Lent provides us with an excellent opportunity to reflect on what is really important and worth spending our lives and resources on. During this 2010 season of Lent may God’s Holy Spirit help us to understand that God wants to use us as instruments in His hands to touch the lives of others in ways that make an eternal difference. As we are led to accept this truth we will better understand what it means to use our time, our skills and talents, and our financial resources in loving and sacrificial ways.
What a time of spiritual growth the season of Lent can be for us as we strive to spend our lives and resources on things that really matter and last beyond our lifetimes. God’s redeemed stewards want to make this world a better place because we have been here. May the love and sacrifice of Jesus so impress us that we will want to reach out in loving and sacrificial ways.
“God’s redeemed and maturing stewards do the right things for the right reasons and strive for excellence in all they do.”
Audrey Rolf, Chairman Board of Stewardship
Reprinted from LCMS Stewardship Resources
Happy New Year! Isn’t it great to be able to start all over with a new year! It gives us the opportunity to put the troubles and failures of the past behind us and look forward to a new year with joyful anticipation. This is especially true for us as God’s children. Jarsoslav Vajda, a noted Lutheran hymn writer, translated these words of a New Year’s hymn:
Now greet the swiftly changing year
With joy and penitence sincere.
Rejoice! Rejoice! With thanks embrace
Another year of grace.
God, Father, Son, and Spirit, hear!
To all our pleas incline Your ear;
Upon our lives rich blessing trace
In this new year of grace.
(LSB 896:1,7)
As God’s stewards we are reminded that we don’t get a fresh start only on the first day of a new year. Instead we get a fresh start every day knowing that in Christ all that is wrong has been forgiven and with the power of the Holy Spirit we are equipped to move forward in our free and joyous management of all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes. What we include in all of life and life’s resources is described by the hymn writer Frances Havergal with these memorable words:
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect and use
Ev’ry power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all, for Thee.
(TLH 441 LSB 783::1,4,6)
These verses from that beloved hymn remind us that our whole life is to be dedicated to God so that we use our time, talents and financial resources in ways that bring honor to Him and produce many blessings for those around us.
As we begin this new year let’s remember that we are God’s redeemed stewards who, in cooperation with and encouragement from fellow redeemed stewards, freely and joyfully manage all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes. Let’s consider making this our resolution for 2010: “Maturing stewards do the right things for the right reasons and strive for excellence in all they do.”
Audrey Rolf, Chairman Board of Stewardship
Reprinted from LCMS Stewardship Resources
“God offered His best for us; let us offer our best to Him.”
“And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus…” is the way Luke’s account of the Christmas story begins in chapter two (KJV). That decree caused Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem, the city of David, where Jesus was born according to ancient prophecy. God’s timing is perfect as He carries out His will. Galatians 4:4-5 reads, “But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” (NIV)
God’s promises are true and find their “amen” in Jesus. Throughout the Old Testament God inspired His prophets to write down many promises of a Savior. The faithful people of God believed His promises and were saved by that faith even though they had not seen the Savior with their own eyes. They lived before Christmas and we live after Christmas. We also have not seen Jesus with our own eyes and yet, by the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit, we believe that on that first Christmas Christ took on Himself our human form, kept the law perfectly for us, preached the good news of salvation, performed countless miracles and then offered Himself up as the precious Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, ours included!
Christmas is a very joyous occasion as we celebrate our Lord’s first coming into the world but we also know that the shadow of the cross already hovered over the manger where the baby Jesus was laid. He was born to die in our place so that the door to heaven will be open to us and all who believe in Him as our only true Lord and Savior.
As Christian stewards we live in the light of the Gospel and freely and joyfully manage all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes. God offered up His best for us and in response we strive to offer our best to Him. During this joyful Christmas season we have many opportunities to show our love for God by showing love to all the neighbors He has placed around us, especially those who have special needs of body, soul and spirit. May God help us to use our gifts of time, talents, skills and financial resources to His glory and the welfare of those around us. May He especially help us to be like the shepherds and spread the good news of salvation in Christ alone!
Audrey Rolf, Chairman Board of Stewardship
(Reprinted from LCMS Stewardship Resources)
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