II Corinthians 8:9: “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that by His poverty He could make you rich.”
Though He had little money, Jesus probably gave more than anyone in history, even more than the philanthropists in our time. Philippians 2:5-8 gives us a wonderful picture of just how generous Jesus could be:
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up his divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. He had to deal with the messiness of human nature with the all the violence, hypocrisy and shame.
Jesus came to share a new vision for living with humility, compassion and mercy. When He appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. He was committed to overcoming evil with generosity, hatred with love, absorbing violence in a non-resistant martyr’s death on a cross.
As Jesus Himself said in Luke 9:58: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” Jesus generously left His home to come and be with us
From a purely human perspective, Jesus had nothing to be generous with. He had no real money or possessions to speak of. From a heavenly perspective, however, Jesus’ generosity cannot be overstated. He gave up so much of what was rightfully His to come to this planet.
Yet, Jesus was all too human. He had to go the mountain and recover. He became frustrated with his disciples though who never quite understood his mission, the hordes who followed him only healings, and the Pharisees who tried to trap him using his words. Yet he continued to teach his disciples, .continued to heal on the spot and even some Pharisees like Nicodemus come to admire him
Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice. We are asked to give to the church, St. Peter’s which champions his beliefs, extols his life and imitate his example of healing – to those who suffer from hunger (Village Harvest), to those have taken a wrong turn in life and need a helping hand (Peumansend Jail Ministry) and to those who been dealt a bad hand by nature (Nepal).
Beyond speicific programs, one thing sets Jesus apart from others. He really did more than expected. The disabled paraplegic received restored mobility and a relationship with God. The hemorrhaging woman was healed in body and restored to dignity in community. He fed the 5,000 when little was available.
David Lose, President of Luther Seminary writes "Jesus’ message was and is absolutely and totally counter-cultural simply because we live in east of Eden in a world of quid pro quo and scarcity where there is never enough and the only thing you can count on are the things you own. And Jesus challenges all of that by telling us that the only things we can hold onto are the things we give away: like love and mercy and kindness and compassion."
We give back as we are given by God – Make your pledge for 2017
The Commitment
Sunday, Oct. 2 is the distribution of 2017 pledge cards. A better word is commitment card. We commit so we can give:
- Commit to help us reduce hunger in this area, through the Village Harvest Distribution
- Commit to us to bring hope to Peumansend jail,
- Commit to help us bring comfort to those suffering in sickness or loneliness,
- Commit to help us in Christian education and encourage fellowship.
- Commit so we can make a difference.
What should be our commitment to what God has given us ?
God calls us to share in God’s mission of caring for the world, using all the gifts God has given us. Our gifts includes those of treasure Over 80% of the funds used to support and plan for ministry in a year come from pledges.
Stewardship IS..
Stewardship is … Everything I do after I say, “I believe.”
ALL that we do, with ALL that we have, ALL the time.
We are stewards, caretakers of God’s gifts. Everything we have was a gift from God, and God asks us to use it all for God’s purposes. Generosity flows naturally out of our gratitude for the gift of love, family, and life itself.
Stewards promote the Shalom of the Kingdom: blessings of life, health, growth,
harmony, justice, abundance, fulfillment, joy, praise of God
In the church, we are stewards of the good news of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ.We are called to share that good news with new generations. But we live in a world where sharing that news is becoming ever more challenging. In order to share the good news, we need financial and other resources.
Our worries about stewardship tend to focus on money. But stewardship is all about mission. It’s those gifts which help St. Peter’s ministries thrive – food distribution and meals in our community, outreach to those in need, Christian education and fellowship for all.
Convince people that the church is doing God’s mission and that it will truly transform our lives and our communities … and each of us is an integral part of that mission … heart, mind and body … and the money will follow.
Stewardship isn’t …
+ Fundraising.
+ Paying the light bills or maintaining a building.
+ Paying a decent staff.
+ Meeting the budget.
+ Keeping the church alive.
+ Paying our fair share of the dues.
+ Passing on a legacy to our children.
Stewardship is …
+ Sharing in God’s mission with a glad, generous and grateful heart.
+ Transforming lives in our community.
+ Prayerfully responding to God’s call.
+ A deeply spiritual matter.
+ Something that blesses the giver more than the receiver.
Stewardship is discipleship; it is a complete reorientation of our lives toward God, who calls us through Jesus Christ.
Stewardship is… Everything I do after I say, “I believe.”
Got Questions ?
Is my stewardship defined only by the money I give to the church?
Why should I pledge ?
How much should I give ?
See our Faq