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Stewardship is living into the fullness of God's abundance
after we say, "I believe."

God’s Grace is generously given.
The appropriate response to the Grace of God is Gratitude.
Gratitude motivates a further response: Generosity.
 

Grace gives rise to Gratitude

I Chronicles 29:10-14

Then David blessed the Lord, in the presence of all the assembly; David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all; Riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might; and it is I your hand to make great and to give strength to all.   And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your glorious name.

“But, who am I, and what is my people that we should be able to make this freewill offering? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.”

The Response of Generosity

Luke 19:1-9

He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to him: “Zacchaeus hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him.

All who saw it began to grumbler and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.”

Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.”

Then Jesus said to him: “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.”

Matthew 6:21

“Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also."

Last Updated ( Saturday, December 08, 2007 )
 
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Your Money & Your Faith

Pathways (Spring 2008) explores how we talk about, learn about and deal with money as Christians. This is a rich resource from which you'll gain information and inspiration to help you continue on your path as a follower of Christ.

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A Reflection on Giving

We give because as Americans and an American church, our relationship with wealth is our greatest spiritual challenge … because it is about who and what owns us. In the midst of a superabundance of wealth, we are prisoners of that wealth and of a lived theology of scarcity. We are prisoners because as tightly as we hold onto our wealth, that’s how tightly it grips us. Because we believe that in spite of how we pray (“Give us this day our daily bread”) it is because of our own efforts and not God’s graces that we have what we do … and that we must keep it or it will disappear and we will have less or none.
from Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation