Stewardship Matters! 

"No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." (Matthew 6:24)
What do you own, and what owns you?
We don't think of ourselves as being slaves, but if you care about something, anything, it owns a little part of your attention, your hope, your life. When we acquire a thing of value, we gain a responsibility to protect it, maintain it, and care for it. This takes time, energy, and attention. What we care about has a claim on our life. Every one of us has the gift of twenty-four hours each day. We cannot add a moment. This is all the life we get. We each are given limited energy. With careful attention to our diet and exercise we can grow the capacity of our endurance, but nothing we can do will eliminate the truth that there are limits to our strength. There comes a time we can do no more.
Our attention is limited. Multitasking simply divides our attention, and does not appreciably increase the amount that we can accomplish. We can do many things in quick succession, but when it comes to giving our attention we can really only focus on and appreciate one thing at a time.
So, with the limited time, energy and attention we have, what do we decide to belong to?

God wants us to belong to one who loves us, not to some thing that, in the end, doesn't have the capacity to care for us. Our wealth and belongings are inanimate. We may name our car, enjoy our i-pod as a constant companion, and even love our favorite things, but money and belongings will never love us back. They are imperfect creations, not the perfect creator.

The time, energy, attention that we give to God, who is eternal, blesses us eternally. The money that we give to God helps us give our heart to God as well.

The time, energy and attention that we give to our wealth and belongings may bless us with enjoyment for a time, but eventually moths consume and rust destroys. Pleasure is pleasant, but meaning makes life worthwhile. What do you own, and what owns you? Or should we say who?

A Christian steward is compassionate - Christian stewards are caretakers and caregivers. They concern themselves with the distribution of gifts and resources so that all might benefit. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it (1 Corinthians 12:27).
A Christian steward is content - Christian stewards acknowledge that their strength comes from God through whom they can do all things regardless of how many or how few material possessions they have. I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Philippians 4: 13).
A Christian steward is generous -- Christian stewards give whatever is needed and whenever it is needed. They voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints (2 Corinthians 8:3-4).
A Christian steward is grateful - Christian stewards value what has been entrusted to their care and protect and preserve everything as if it were their own, yet acknowledging that the earth and all that is in it belong to God. It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, 0 Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night (Psalm 92:1-2).
A Christian steward is loving - Christian stewards know that the Lord requires justice and kindness and humility, and they follow the two greatest commandments. [The scribe asked Jesus] "Which commandment is the first of all?" Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, 0 Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:28-31).
A Christian steward is loyal - Christian stewards serve God faithfully, remembering who they are, whose they are, and why they are here on earth. ''No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth" (Matthew 6:24).
A Christian steward is obedient - Christian stewards obey God by setting aside a part of all their income for others. [Jesus replied to the ruler]: "There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." But when he [the ruler} heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich (Luke
18:22-23).
A Christian steward is prayerful - Christian stewards acknowledge the greatness and goodness of God through prayer, fellowship, study, worship, and reflection. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29: 12-13).
A Christian steward is responsible - Christian stewards realize that caring for God's creation and wisely managing resources never ends. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded of you (Matthew 28: 19-20a).
A Christian steward sacrifices - Christian stewards follow Jesus' teaching to sacrifice what they have out of gratitude for their many blessings. Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all that she had, all she had to live on (Mark 12:43-44).
A Christian steward shares -  Christian stewards have learned to distribute fairly so that none will be in need. I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said. "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).
A Christian steward is trustworthy - Christian stewards can be trusted to make wise decisions concerning the resources placed within their care. Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy (1 Corinthians 4: 1-2).
From Guidelines/or Leading Your Congregation: Stewardship, by Phyllis M. Bowers. (Nashville: Cokesbury, © 2000). Used by permission. All rights reserved.   

Money is Like Manure…It Should Be Spread Around!
That is probably the most famous quote of NY Socialite, Brooke Astor, who died back in August this year at the age of 105. She spread around quite a bit of money in her lifetime. Her husband, Vincent, died in 1959 and left her $2 million plus the interest off $60 million and endowed the Vincent Astor Foundation with an additional $67 million.
Brooke convinced the trustees of the foundation to give away the principle as well as the interest so that most of the money would be spent in her lifetime. The foundation gave away nearly $200 million by the time it closed in 1997.
She gave money to the New York Public Library, Carnegie Hall, the Museum of Natural History and the Bronx Zoo. She also gave to smaller projects like a boiler for a youth center and Harlem’s Apollo Theater. She not only said, “Money is like manure, it should be spread around,” she spread the vast majority of her money around prior to her death.
Manure does a lot of good when it is spread onto a field. It feeds the plants and improves the yield, sometimes dramatically. Spreading money around can have similar results.
By spreading her money around before her death, she got to help decide where and how it would be used. If she had simply kept it, or hoarded it, there could have been a sizable inheritance tax at the time of her death, and the government might have decided where to spend a sizeable portion of her estate.
I don’t have $200 million to manage and you probably don’t either, but many people have some money that could and probably should be “spread around.” Many congregations have endowment funds, and Zion is one of such congregations. Perhaps you might want to consider this in your financial planning and stewardship efforts. Currently Zion’s Endowment Fund has just over $38,000.00 invested. The interest from this provides the basis for our Scholarship Fund for Zion’s youth who are continuing their educational efforts beyond high school. Imagine what we might be able to do if that Endowment were to increase, image all the wonderful ministries we would be able to enhance and nurture. Your gifts are but one way to help fertilize the mission and ministry of Zion Lutheran. Please keep the Zion Lutheran Endowment fund in mind as you consider ways to help make a difference in your church.

The following is Christmas Eve homily preached by Pastor Jeff Farley, a Presbyterian pastor in Otisville, New York. In this homily he tells a true story of a Christmas gift that made all the difference in the world.

It happened many years ago in the city of Philadelphia. A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was “too crowded.”
 ”I can't go to Sunday school,” she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason she had been told the classes were full and, taking her by the hand, led her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class.
The child was so touched by what had happened that day that she went to bed at night thinking of the children who had no place to worship Jesus.
Some two years later, near Christmas, this same child died in one of the poor tenement buildings in the city. The parents called for the kind-hearted pastor who had befriended their daughter to handle the final arrangements.
As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled purse was found, which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was a Sunday school envelope with 57 cents in it and a note scribbled in childish handwriting, which read, “This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday school.”
For two years she had saved for this offering of love. When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion. He challenged his church leaders to get busy and to raise enough money for a larger building.
 But the story does not end there! A newspaper learned of the little girl’s gift and published the story in the Sunday paper. A realtor who read the story offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands of dollars on which to build. When told that the church could not pay anywhere near that much money, he offered it to them for 57 cents.
 The church members got together and made large gifts. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl’s gift had increased to $250,000 – a huge sum of money for the early 1900s.
 The pastor told his board about the gift and they were inspired to try to build. They contacted a realtor who, after hearing the story sold them the land for $10,000 but only required a 57-cent down payment and offered very good terms, allowing the church to continue its fundraising.
Her unselfish love, her Christmas love, had paid incredible dividends.
When you are in the city of Philadelphia, find the Temple Baptist Church. It has a seating capacity of 3,300. Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained, as well as Good Samaritan Hospital, were also a part of what was built with this little girl’s gift.
So was the huge Sunday school building that houses hundreds of Sunday school students so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside at Sunday school time. In one of the rooms of this building may be seen a picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history.
Alongside of it is the portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russell H. Conwell, author of the book, Acres of Diamonds, and one of the two founders of the seminary I attended 20 years ago.
Christmas is about gifts, particularly the incredible gift sent to us in Bethlehem! In many ways, Jesus’ birth was about as significant as that gift of 57 cents. But that just makes clear the obvious – it isn’t the amount of the gift, or its size, or its importance. All that really matters is the love that is attached to it.
This Christmas, be sure to enjoy the loving gifts that come your way, and send love with every one you give. And please, please remember this more than anything else: in Jesus, God sent his love for you. Amen.

Behind The Scenes: Hidden Hands Working
Have you ever seen a puppet show? Children bubble over with giggles at the puppets’ antics during comedy. They shout advice during an adventure. Of course, young audiences don’t care about the performers behind the stage. The puppets appear to have a life of their own, and so the children don’t think about the hands inside them.
Similarly, many of us forget the hidden hands behind many church activities. It’s all too easy to forget the members of the congregation who decorate the sanctuary in anticipation of celebrations such as Christmas and Easter. It is easy to overlook the folks who give of their time and talent to enhance and enrich our worship musically. It’s all too easy to attend events like our Senior Moments Potluck or the Meatball Dinners or the upcoming Santa Lucia Luncheon, forgetting those in the kitchen preparing food or washing dishes. It’s all too easy to pray for the homebound, forgetting those who take time to write or visit them. All too easy, because so often it’s the same people performing all of these tasks. Our lives are made of time. God’s most precious gift was Jesus’ time on Earth. Surely spending time doing what the church needs—behind the scene—is a vital part of saying, “Thank You” to God.

Do We Trust God With Our Souls, But Not Our Wallets?
One of the things I have discovered over the years of teaching, preaching and studying stewardship is that the reason that people give are pretty simple, but the reasons that people withhold their giving are much more complicated.
If you talk to someone who tithes they will say something like, “God has done so much for me,” or, “It is all about gratitude,” or “It all belongs to God anyway.”  They are all variations on a theme that puts God at the center of their lives.
But if you talk to people who are not giving what they believe they ought to, the answers become more varied and scattered. Some will tell you it is because of the way finances are handled in their congregation. Some will tell you it is because their own expenses prohibit it. I remember one family was doing major renovations to their home and told me that they were their own favorite charity at that time.  Some will talk about some income goal they were working toward, and if they reached that benchmark then they would be able to give more.
Maybe those responses are just rationalizations. Maybe there are lesser reasons. But tying all of these reasons together is the reality that God is not at the center of their lives and their decision-making.
Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” So does the giving precede the trust? I think maybe.
Don’t you know someone in your life that trusts God with all his or her heart? Haven’t you longed to be that person and to have that kind of faith?
Then Jesus is telling you that God will become the center and the focus of your life when your treasure lies there.
Perhaps that is precisely why those who do give generously have only one answer or variation on the theme of why they give. Putting their treasure with God has turned their hearts there.
Marin Luther said that the toughest conversion is the pocketbook. But Jesus implies that without that conversion our hearts lie elsewhere and it becomes impossible to love the Lord with all our hearts and minds and strength.
   
Go in peace! Serve the Lord! Thanks be to God! 
The words above, familiar to millions of Lutherans as the sending prayer to conclude weekly worship, shine brilliantly in their simplicity and power. The prayer captures the essence of our discipleship response to the Gospel:
   Go! We are active, not static. And neither are we stationary. Our mission calls us to venture outside our churches, beyond our personal space, outside our comfort zones. We go wherever God sends us.
   In peace! Faith conquers needless fears and unreasonable worry. God clears our vision, wipes away our tears, and gives us confidence and strength.
   Serve! Whatever shape and direction our ministries take us, they are all, ultimately, service. That is, it is not for our own benefit and interest that we labor, but for people around us. We do what we are instructed.
   The Lord! Matthew 25 tells us when we serve the least of God’s people, we are serving Jesus himself. In all our service, therefore, we serve God!
   Thanks be to God! We are thankful for all we have received: for our faith, for the honor of being called and sent, for the privilege of serving the one true God. For all these things the only attitude is one of gratitude.

Are You an Owner or a Renter?
A friend of mine opened my eyes to a new understanding of being the church. He asked me, "Have you ever rented a car?" "Sure I have, lots of times when I travel," I said.
"O.K." he said. "Do you ever rotate the tires of the car you rent?" Never. "Have you ever washed the car?" Not once.
"Have you ever changed the oil?" I've never given it a thought.
"But have you done any of those things with the car that is sitting in your garage?" Sure I have, many times, I told him.
Why the difference? Because one I'm just using, I realized, but the other I have an investment in.
My friend wasn't done with me yet. "Does your church have mostly ‘renters' or ‘owners'?" I looked at him real hard. I was trying to make the connection. He saw the blank look in my eyes.
"You know, do you mostly have people who use the church for their convenience, or do you have mostly people who are committed to the church?" Tough question to ask; harder question to answer.
So, are you a renter or an owner? A renter goes to church when it's convenient; an owner is the church always. A renter worships occasionally on Sunday mornings; an owner worships every day. A renter has ministry done to them; an owner does ministry for others. A renter quits when they get tired; an owner never gives up. A renter complains when things aren't going their way; an owner prays to have God change their heart. A renter occasionally gives their money; an owner gives their life.
These are just a few things that, in my opinion, separate renters from owners. And truthfully I don't know if we have renters (I'm sure we do) or if we are mostly owners (I pray we are).
The point is, God is inviting us, through Jesus, to be owners; to own the faith that he gives us, to own the cross we are to carry and to own the ministry we have been created to do.
Each month in The Zion Crownicle you are invited to step up in your commitment to God's ministry here at Zion Lutheran and invite renters to exchange their short-term lease for a long-term mortgage. It will make all the difference
Portions of this message are from "Building Healthy, Multiplying Congregations"
 from the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

What Are You? Tip Giver, Dues Payer or Sacrificial Giver?
There are three kinds of givers who vary widely in their motivations as well in their amount of money they contribute to the church.
   
The Tip Giver is one. When they come to church (which is an uncertain and infrequent phenomenon), they drop into the plate whatever change they happen to find in their pocket. If it is the kind of congregation where the clang of coins may embarrass them, they fish a dollar bill from their wallet, fold it in half, and let it flutter silently onto the plate. They may not think of it in just those terms, but what they are doing is giving God a tip for the spiritual nourishment, which has been served up at the worship service. It is hard to believe that God is gratified. (Not by the amount but by the motivation.)

The Dues Payers give systematically and regularly to the church, via a pledge or an envelope system. But the amount of their contribution is not related to the size of their income. Some of them try to calculate precisely their "fair share" of the church's operating costs. They divide the annual budget by the number of families on the membership roles and give accordingly. Others simply pick a nice round respectable sounding figure, like $2 a week, or often $1 a week. They pay this sum as faithfully as they pay their country club dues, which are considerably higher.

Finally, there are the Sacrificial Givers. Without a fair sized cadre of these folks to bring the average up, the church would suffer even more than it does from financial malnutrition. They often give ten percent of their income to church and charity. But those who have grasped the true spirit of sacrificial giving do not look at it in this light. When these Christians sit down to determine their offering, they do not ask themselves: "How much money shall I give to God?" Their question is: "How much of God's money shall I spend on myself and my family?" Once you put it that way, it seems reasonable to keep, for your personal use; substantially less than the one hundred percent of the money that has been entrusted to your stewardship. That's why truly sacrificial givers rarely think of themselves as generous givers.

Looking for the real IT

A friend has been pretty successful in business, but restless - changing companies every couple of years. As he was talking about the latest change, he shook his head and looked down. "I don't know. None of this really is IT." By IT he meant a work that gives him a sense of joy and fulfillment.

Spiritual emptiness. It's the human race's number one problem - the root cause of war, addiction, crime, oppression, greed, gluttony, selfishness and on and on. But in the United States spiritual emptiness takes on a particularly ironic expression because as a nation we are wealthy enough and educated enough to have multiple options for almost everything - and we often choose the one that will give us spiritual emptiness.

We choose spiritual emptiness whenever we opt for something we want today, even though we know it will bring us unhappiness in the long term.

--For example, some people choose unwise sex because it's what they want now, but then they live with unwanted pregnancy (or abortion) and a life sentence of sexually transmitted diseases. Sex is not IT.
--Others choose to eat lots and lots of fattening food because they want it now, only to live with the consequences of obesity: shorter life, higher illness, more misery. Food is not IT.
--Still others - like my friend -- choose careers because they pay well, only to endure emptiness and questioning. Money is not IT!

In Isaiah 55:2, God asks, "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?" Why DO we, indeed?

All of this, of course, is a stewardship issue. In every area of our lives, we need to expend our energies and talents and time on those things that are "bread," that is, all things that are good and nourishing of body, mind or soul. And that which truly satisfies -- satisfies our spiritual hungers. Things like church. Humility. Charity. Generosity. Teaching. Caring for yourself and your family. Loving God with all your heart, mind and soul, and your neighbor as yourself. And that, friends, is IT!

 -Rob Blezard,
"Copyright (c) 2005 The Rev. Robert Blezard, www.stewardshipoflife.org.
Used by permission."

The Strengths You Possess

In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the master, before going on a journey, entrusted his property to his servants. Two of the servants immediately went out and doubled their investments, but the other did nothing. Those who used their talents were justly rewarded, but the servant who did nothing was let go. Take time to reflect on the talents given you. If the master returned today, what would he say about the way you have used your talents? What kind of responsibility do you feel toward God regarding your talents?

Stewardship Lessons from a Fortune Cookie

It took a visit to my favorite Chinese restaurant to remind me that if you keep your mind and eyes open, you can learn stuff about stewardship anywhere.

For instance, if you visit the chronically ill, you will learn to appreciate the health you take for granted. If you associate with the very poor, you will learn the value of middle-class stability. If you listen to a friend drowning in problems, you will know the value of having your feet solidly on the floor when you are throwing a lifeline.

Meanwhile all around you can hear messages about the proper and godly use of your gifts and treasures. The bumper sticker: "Live Simply, That Others May Simply Live." The telephone ad: "Reach out and touch someone." The front license plate: "I Love My Family" (or Husband, or Wife, or Children). The sign in the office: "No smoking! We'd rather die of natural causes!" The oft-repeated saying: "Nobody ever said on their deathbed that they wished they'd spent more time at the office."

Think about it. The wisdom all around is that, 1) there is enough to go around if everybody shares and does not take too much; 2) good communication and relationships are the foundation of healthy living for both individuals and society; and 3) when we poison our environment we end up poisoning ourselves.

As Christians, we learn these lessons not from bumper stickers but from the Bible. In verse after verse God is teaching us what's important, teaching us to let go, teaching us to become aware of our attachments in order that we may let them go. So our Christian education receives encouragement from popular culture and from sayings, which brings me back to the fortune cookie.

It read: "Do not desire what you do not need."

Someone Busy
A business executive once told me that whenever she needed something important done, she would always choose “someone busy” to do it. She’d learned that busy people were the ones who had learned to use their time effectively. I asked her if that was fair. She answered, “Maybe not, but the work needs to be done.”

Sometimes it seems every church does the same thing as this executive. A few people seem to do everything: serving on committees, cleaning the church, and teaching Sunday School. Others may contribute in various ways, but nearly as much. It’s the busy people that practice stewardship of time most effectively, which makes them vital to the church’s good works.

Busy people deserve our respect, thanks, and most importantly, help. We shouldn’t wait to be asked; what work needs to be done isn’t a secret. If we join in, we may lean we can accomplish more than we thought when we weren’t so busy.

Summer Is Coming
Those wonderful days of summer are not all that far away. Soon we will find ourselves spending more time in the great outdoors with family and friends. There will be family gatherings, sporting events, leisurely fishing trips and vacations to distant places. Here in Minnesota many of us live for our summers. It is the inspiration of summer that helps us get through our long drawn out winters. There is a down side of summer however; our churches often suffer financially through our wonderful weekends. Sure, more often than not we make it up in the fall and near the end of the year, but it can still be stressful at times. So this summer, plan ahead, if you are not going to be here for worship, mail your offering in or drop it off during the week. Be a good steward and help your church meet it’s financial responsibilities as well.

You Can Make A Difference
Have you remembered Zion in your estate planning? Please consider the Zion Lutheran Endowment Fund in your estate planning. Your faithful stewardship and generosity can help support the mission and ministry of this congregation beyond this lifetime.