2008 Stewardship
Emphasis
Text: 1
Corinthians 12: 1-11
“We’re All in
this Together”
Do you like
being on teams or going it alone? Would you rather play football
or baseball, or golf or tennis? I have always enjoyed team sports
more. I like the camaraderie of being on a team and choking while
playing a team sport is usually less obvious. Today we are going
to be talking about general stewardship stuff, and today we will all be
reminded that being a Christian is never a go-it-alone thing, but a team
thing. We are all in this together.
If you remember
your catechism and the third article, you will remember a key phrase to
what we are doing here today. “I believe the Holy Spirit has called
me by the Gospel, & enlightened me with His gifts.” God is a
giver. God gives to you and to me. Some of His best Gifts are
what we pastor types call the Means of Grace: God’s Word, Holy Baptism
and Holy Communion. These are the gifts through which the Holy Spirit
“calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies…”
The good
news is that we are the people of God by His grace. God even gives
the gift of faith so that we can believe in Him. God gives so much:
clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, spouse and children,
career and income, talents and abilities. We are gifted by God so
abundantly, so many of us have more than we need, yes?
So now what?
God has more in mind for us than that we be saved for eternity, as important
as that is. He wants to use us as instruments in His hand that He
can use to touch the lives of others in a way that makes an eternal difference.
That’s the
very issue our selected text verses are addressing. In verse four
Paul reminds us: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.”
God gives to each of us, but we have been given different things.
Some of you hate to get up and talk in front of people. Me?
No problem. But I cannot get a nail into wood straight, while some
of you can build anything. See what I mean? God gives to us
all, but we are given different things.
In verse
seven, Paul says: “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given
for the common good.” We are not to keep to ourselves that which
God has given to us. We are to take whatever God has given us, and
put it to work in His kingdom.
In verse
eleven we read: “All these [gifts] are the work of one and the same Spirit,
and He gives them to each one, just as He determines.” Again, it
is God who does the giving, we simply receive. And in thanks to God
we are to give back.
The general principles
of Christian stewardship have been summarized for us by some folks in St.
Louis who work for the LCMS. They came up with eight general principles
that our synod has agreed to abide by. Here they are:
I. GOD'S STEWARDS
ARE GOD'S STEWARDS.
We are stewards
by virtue of creation and our re-creation in Holy Baptism; therefore, we
belong to the Lord.
II. GOD'S STEWARDS
ARE MANAGERS, NOT OWNERS.
We have been
entrusted by God with life and life's resources and given the privilege
of responsibly and joyfully managing them for Him.
III. GOD'S STEWARDS
ARE SAINTS AND SINNERS.
We rejoice in
and live out what God has declared us to be through the cross. At
the same time His stewards recognize we are sinners who fight sin and its
consequences each day.
IV. GOD'S STEWARDS
ARE UNIQUELY SINGULAR, YET PROFOUNDLY PLURAL.
We recognize
that our lives are not solo performances but are personal responses to
God, lived out within the community of faith to benefit the whole world.
V. GOD'S STEWARDS
ARE IN THE WORLD, BUT NOT OF THE WORLD.
We recognize
that the Lord sets us apart from the world and by the transforming power
of the Gospel sends us into the world to live out the Gospel.
VI. GOD'S STEWARDS
ARE LOVED AND LOVING.
We recognize
that our stewardship flows out of God's act of love for us in Christ which
empowers us then, in turn, to love others in acts of Christ-like love.
VII. GOD'S STEWARDS
ARE SERVED AND SERVING.
We recognize
that our stewardship involves a Gospel-powered style of life which is demonstrated
in servanthood within all the arenas of life.
VIII. GOD'S STEWARDS
LIVE WITH AN AWARENESS OF THE PRESENT AND FUTURE, OF TIME AND ETERNITY.
We live intentionally
in the light of God's eternal purpose while being firmly committed to His
rule in the here and now.
So what does all
this mean for us? First of all, each one of us is unique with specific
gifts, skills, talents and resources. As I said before, we all have
different skills, talents and abilities that have been given to us by God.
Each one of us
is a part of the body of Christ and individually members of it. We
are part of a team here, the family of God, brothers and sisters in Christ.
We each have our role to play, and that means more than just showing up
here on the occasional Sunday.
All of us are
to discover those special gifts, abilities and resources and, by the power
of the Holy Spirit, put them to work as members of one body. We need
to look deeply in here, realize what God has given to us and then give
back: to God, to our Church, to each other.
When each part
is doing its work well, the body flourishes; when the parts become jealous,
petty or lackadaisical the body suffers. When I came to serve this
church five and a half years ago, the body here was suffering. There
were jealousies, pettiness, selfishness. Things were kind of a mess.
But God has done mighty and wonderful things here. The body here
at St. Mark is now flourishing. Attendance is up. Giving is
up. Membership is up. And as great as all this is, there is
so much more we can be doing.
Here is the reality
and the challenge: Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of
you is a part of it. Maturing Christians do the right things for
the right reasons and strive for excellence in all we do. This means,
among other things, that we are to give freely and generously of our time,
talents and financial resources for the welfare of the Church, and we are
to share the good news of Jesus with as many people as we can reach!
That is our calling, each one of us. We are all part of the team.
We all have a part, a position to play. We are never to think when
it comes to this stuff, we’ll just let someone else do it or worry about
it. We have all been gifted. We are all called to give: especially
God’s love that is here inside us all. We will talk more about this
next week. Until then, God grant us the strength and wisdom to do
what He wants us to do for the team!
Amen.
