Stewardship
What do you think about when you hear the word “stewardship”? Time, talent, and treasure? The three Ts. We need to give, give, give till it hurts, right? Yes…and no.
The word “stewardship,” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, means “the conducting, supervising, or managing of something, especially the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.”

The first reality of stewardship is the right management of something that is not our own. Something “entrusted to one’s care.” We are born into this world with nothing, needing everything. God gives us life and our families to provide for us everything we need to survive and thrive in this world. Because of original sin, of course, this isn’t always perfect. Parents don’t always care for, or steward, their children properly. The world isn’t always fair. We may be born into a less than ideal situation. Regardless, everything we have and are was given to us by another, either directly from God or from God through other people. Even the so-called “self-made man” has been given opportunities by God and others to allow him to “make himself.” This isn’t meant to detract from the opportunities and skills people have that allow them to be successful. People can rightly take pride in the ways they have stewarded the gifts given to them.

In the famous Parable of the Talents, we see the various ways that God blesses people—some with more and some with less—and how they are praised for being good stewards of those gifts, taking the gift and creating increase in it.

The increase we see in the parable can come in many ways. Through other stories from the Bible, such as the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, the Parable of the Widow’s Mite, and others, we come to realize that the increase in our talents that God wants to see is that which we give to God and others. It is through the gift of ourselves, the gifts of our talents, and the gifts of our resources that we can increase them in ourselves and those around us so that when we meet God face to face, he can say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.”

Let’s dig a little deeper though. Why did God give us anything? Why do we give others anything? Is it not out of love? Love is the driving force behind all things relating to God. As 1 John 4:7–9 says, “Beloved, let us love one another; for love of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”

And, again, 1 John 4:15–17 states, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. In this is love perfected with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so are we in this world.”

“God is love.” Not “God loves” or “God is like love” but “God is love.” What do we do when we love someone? We give of ourselves, and they give to us. Love is ultimately a mutual self-giving that lifts up both the beloved and the lover. This is where the joy of stewardship comes in. In giving of ourselves—our time, our talent, our treasure, our prayer, our faith, our very lives—we are enriched beyond our imagining and we grow closer to our goal, our heavenly home where we can perfectly receive the love of God and perfectly give our love to him.

Our Father has been very generous to us. In addition to the families, friends, and other relationships he has given us, he has blessed us with a beautiful church to worship in, faithful priests and deacons, and an active faith community filled with good and holy people striving to live out the good news in their daily lives. We are all a part of that great community, and through the love we share with others, we contribute to that community and help build up the Kingdom of God here on earth.

Stewardship is about time, talent, and treasure, but it is so much more than that. It is about the love God has for us, the love we have for God, and the love we have for his people and creation. As we begin anew this season of stewardship, ponder deeply on the gifts of God and how you can participate in his great generosity and love.