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Stewardship

Here it is, stewardship season, and the rector has left town and left me in charge. The nerve! The subject of money and pledging is uncomfortable anytime, but especially now with the economic climate. I suppose it would be possible to avoid the subject in Sunday's sermon, but not easily given the lectionary reading -- the poor widow and her mites from Mark 12:38-44. And it does seem important that the Church be part of the conversation about how we think about our money. Otherwise, the dominant voice is that of our culture, with commercials urging us to buy things we don't need, telling us we aren't attractive and successful enough without more stuff. Unfortunately, the Church doesn't always have this conversation responsibly. Sometimes we do exactly what Jesus warns against in the Gospel story, giving more respect to the "scribes" of our day, applauding the people that give the most out of their abundance. Sometimes we use guilt or bad theology to open purse strings.
And yet, despite it all, I love the word we use to talk about it all - "stewardship" is a great, descriptive, deep and wonderful word. It encompasses the amazing reminder that all that we have, not just our money but our entire lives, are gifts from God that we take care of for God. Something to ponder as I sit here stewing about this week's sermon.

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