When I was first asked to give this talk, I was thinking “Seriously? They want me to talk to the whole congregation using something I wrote? Sure I’ve gotten up behind the pulpit before and read, but that was from the Bible...a little more prestigious and knowledgeable author wrote that one. And about stewardship? I don’t even know what that means let alone how to convey my feelings about it to my friends and family of Saint Catherine’s.” This dilemma toiled inside me for a while. I thought about why in the world some of my family here would think I was worthy enough to address you all on something I had no idea about, or so I thought.
After consulting my family, my mentor, Father Jim, and God on the matter, I realized that I probably would have failed a church vocabulary quiz with the term “stewardship”. But over the past thirteen plus years, stewardship has become a major part of my being. Stewardship, in my very naïve opinion, can be boiled down to this definition (no Webster’s citations here): Stewardship is like volunteering. The giving of yourself in time you could be using doing something for work or school. The talents you could be using to make money or simply staying sane with all the things to do in today’s society. Or the treasure that you could be using for that new upgrade for your car, kitchen or a vacation or maybe even just putting groceries on the table.Here at Saint Catherine’s, there are so many blessed and amazing opportunities to volunteer. All of the in-reach and out-reach projects can sometimes be overwhelming and make it hard to choose. I know that in my thirteen years as a parishioner performing my acolyte duties with diligence and passion was one of the most vital parts of my stewardship to Saint Catherine’s and to God. I remember one period where I ended up serving for about four Sundays in a row, caused by people not showing up on time or switching with people. Now brace yourselves for this may shock some of you. For me, this was heaven. I loved being up in front of the congregation and saw it as a great honor that I was helping Father Jim, Sherry and Judy to lead this wonderful worship service. And although I didn’t know it at the time, this love was a form of stewardship. It was giving of my time and talents as a leader and worshiper to the glory of God and the success of my family here.
Paul describes this spirit of giving in his letter to the Philippians by encouraging them to model their servant’s spirits after Jesus, as "He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Although I do not claim to be anywhere near Jesus in obedience and servant hood to my God and my fellow man, I do claim Jesus Christ as my Savior and model. I do my best to humble myself and become obedient to the will of God rather than the will of my flesh. Now please understand that I fail most of the time. But there are those blessed times where I show humility and obedience before God, follow His will, and a spring of life-giving joy rushes from my heart. I also see in retrospect that I received an additional something in return for my services as an acolyte. I gained a respect and knowledge for the Episcopal services, training in leadership, and built relationships that were important to me growing up. And speaking of growing up, there’s no way I could forget my J2A program experiences. Although acolyting has been the most vital, my Journey to Adulthood program rooted me in my relationship with God and with this congregation. Although not usually seen as a “volunteer” opportunity, all of the youth programs function as stewardship opportunities. By giving of your time, and often times talents, you give to the church a new generation. This generation then builds and grows to become the leaders of that congregation through acolyting like me, as a part of the alter and flower guild, helping out with the Easter egg hunt on Easter mornings, and so many more. Last summer, I left Saint Catherine’s with a head full of convictions that would be tested when I arrived at the University of Georgia. However, Paul’s promises that "it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" gave me hope. The relationship that had been growing through the work that God has done in me through my stewardship in the youth program acted as my cornerstone. It helped me to stand before you today and proudly say to you that not only has my faith has remained with me, it has grown. I’ve heard it said that today, more students are losing their faith while in college than in years past. I can say that I am not among them, due to God’s work through this congregation on my heart.Although stewardship can encompass all of these things, the most important thing is that it be from the heart. It’s a nudge that you have towards a particular ministry; it’s the warmth you feel when you see a house completed that you and your fellow parishioners have been working on for months to provide for a deserving family; it’s the ecstatic jump of a child when they’re learning a new song at Vacation Bible School; it’s the humility and honor you feel when you stand before the congregation and share the Word of God with them. One of the most important things to remember when considering stewardship is the parable that Jesus told to the questioners in today’s gospel. One son said with his mouth yes and then completely ignored his father’s order. The other, while reluctant at first, obeyed his father’s wishes. In obeying our Father’s commandments to show our faith through deeds, we please Him and bring glory to Him through those works. Stewardship can be a one-time event in your life or something that lasts a lifetime through serving and growing. No matter how much time you think you have, there’s always something that you can do to help your relationship with God, your church, and your community grow. I can tell you truly that serving this congregation has been one of the biggest blessings God has given me in my entire life. I would like to leave you with a few verses from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians concerning ministry and servant hood in the body of Christ. “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good […and…] one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.” Lean on Jesus’ model of obedience and servant hood laid out in the Word of God. Do not say to God “Yes” and then let someone else fill the space that you can fill. Do not shy away from a stewardship opportunity because your human fear surpasses your fear of God. “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.” God purposes every one of us with gifts to benefit His kingdom and His glory on this earth.