Our annual fall stewardship emphasis will be entitled, “Live Courageously.” There will be the much anticipated Divinity made videos to illustrate each Sunday’s theme. I’m sure we’ll be getting our annual update on the Worgull family and see what our seminarian, Mark Knauss is up to.
The schedule and themes are as follows…
- Oct. 7 – “Reflecting Generosity” – 1 Timothy 6:17-19
- Oct. 14 – “Courageous Conversations” – Mark 10:17-24
- Oct. 21 – “Wait for the Lord” – Psalm 31:21-24
- Oct. 28 – Commitment Sunday – Pastor Connie Sassanella preaching
We will receive a 2019 commitment card in the mail with our 3rd quarter contribution statement that we can return to the church office or bring to the altar on October. 28.
“Live Courageously!” The word “courage” or “courageous” appears only a few times in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, we find some variations of “Be strong and be of good courage” twelve times. This suggests to me that life is not easy or carefree. The best food is made from scratch and not cooked in a microwave. Come in one Monday morning and check out how our nut rolls are made. You will be struck by how labor intensive the process of preparing good food really is. The same is true of the spirit, of living well; there is no labor-saving machinery.
When Paul writes his first letter to his student, Timothy, he reminds him that there are no short-cuts in our relationships with God and one another. We need to do the work and live courageously.
1 Timothy 6:18-19 – “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.”
So what is Christian stewardship? It is simply our courageous attempt, having experienced the generosity and hospitality of the God we know in Jesus, to live a life that reflects that generosity, the life that really is life.
In Christ – Pastor Doug
