Stewardship

Readings for Proper 21A: Ez. 18:1-32, Ps. 25, Phil. 2:1-13
September 29, 2002

The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt

St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino, CA

Perhaps the single most important thing we can do for our spiritual and mental health is to develop a sense of gratitude in our daily lives. Gratitude is "joy in the heart" which comes from acknowledging the abundance of blessings in our life. Gratitude is something that can be learned and once practiced on a regular basis, improves our mental health. If you want to experience the fruit of the Spirit, I suggest beginning with the practice of gratitude.

Gratitude helps us understand the principle of Stewardship. Stewardship is the belief that everything we have comes from God and thus, we feel truly blessed. And since everything that we have comes from God, we have a responsibility to take care of these things. God calls us to systematically and proportionally share these goods (not only with our family) but also in the service of God and for the benefit of humankind. It is this principle of Stewardship that I would like to speak to. Please note, I am not going to talk about the annual pledge drive. The annual pledge drive (which will begin in about a month) is not the same thing as the principle of Stewardship (although we use the principle of stewardship when giving to the Church.) Stewardship is much more comprehensive than raising money. It is a guiding principle that allows for justice and the dignity of the created order. I will use today's reading from the prophet Ezekiel as my text.

Ezekiel was a priest and prophet during the 6th century BCE. Like his Jewish contemporaries, he was forced into exile by the Babylonian Army. One of the ways conquered nations were disempowered, was to "brain drain" its population by removing all of the educated and highly skilled artisan from the land. Ezekiel was one of those highly educated people who were forced into exile. While in Babylon, Ezekiel noticed that the other exiled Israelis had become disheartened and as a result, embraced a sort of fatalism. They believed that they were being punished (not for their own sins) but for the sins of their fathers. They believed that God had turned his back on Israel because the older generation had become unfaithful, immoral, unethical, and unjust. For these transgressions, God allowed a foreign nation to take over their land. Believing that there was nothing that they could do to change the course of history, the exiles developed a cynical posture of: "what's the use"; "every man for himself"; "live and let live." It is into this context that Ezekiel preached the notion of God's justice and challenged the predominating notion of determinism.

There are two threads of thinking that permeates our human experience. One thread is the notion of determinism- the sense that there are immutable laws in force that determine our future and are beyond our ability to control or change. The other is justice: a system of merited rewards and punishment that is fair, allowing us to determine our future.

Let’s begin with examining the principle of determinism. We the people of the 21st century can readily identify with the exiles of Israel who felt that their history was out of their control. Today’s world has become so complex, so controlled by very powerful entities, that often times, we think we have little power to effect change or chart our future. We often hear folks say: “This problem is just too big for me. There is nothing that I can do to make a difference.”

1. Take for example the global economy. What happens in Asia or in Silicon Valley, can profoundly affect the worldwide economy. The way we spend our own paycheck seems to have little impact.
2. Take for example the science of genetics. Genetics has revealed to us that many of our health issues are determined by the genes that were passed down to us by our parents. We did not choose these genes. Good genes provide for a healthy life; bad genes cause multiple problems.
3. If we are born into a well-to-do family, we are given more opportunities for a good education or employment, and thus are more successful. But if on the other hand we are born into poverty in a third world country, chances are we will remain living in that poverty. The poor have little power to effect change.
4. We notice that indeed, “The sins of the fathers are passed onto the third and fourth generations.” We particularly see this kind of determinism played out in families where alcoholism, sexual abuse, and mental illness are prevalent. It takes many generations to overcome the cycle of abuse.
5. Today, many people suffer from respiratory conditions and cancers because of a polluted environment that they inherited from others. PCB’s, DDT, herbicides, the destruction of the ozone layer, smog, and polluted waterways have all had a negative effect on our health and well being.

If it were not for the principal of justice also operating in our lives, I think that we would all get discouraged and give up and live only for today. But along side the notion of determinism, is that notion of justice. Our constitution, our baptismal vows, the way we arrange our common life together, are based on the principle of justice. We do not want to believe in a capricious world order that favors death over life. Conscious people strive for justice in all aspects of their communal life including government, education, civil rights, the economy, and safety. In fact, I think that social justice is one of the core values of the parish of St. Jude’s. We want life to be fair, filled with dignity, and somewhat predictable. Those who do good should be rewarded and those who do bad should be punished. Distribution of goods should be equitable and allow for the dignity of every human being. Theologically, Christians and Jews believe in a just God; a God who spoke through the prophets, teaching us how to order our societies in a just way.

So one the one hand, we elevate the notion of justice and on the other hand, we admit to the notion of determinism. What principle connects these two, seemingly contradictory threads? STEWARDSHIP! Stewardship is caring for, and systematically and proportionally sharing our time, talent, personhood, and material possessions in the service of God and for the benefit of humankind. If we take this responsibility seriously, then we will make choices that will not only benefit our family and all of humankind today (i.e. justice) but will also benefit those outside our family and generations in the future (i.e. determinism). How we act today can affect the future of our world.

Let’s look at some specific examples of stewardship. Perhaps the most universally practiced activity under the heading of stewardship is the nurture and guidance of our offspring. We do not own our children but God has placed them into our care for a period of time. Most parents have made a commitment to nourish their children, provide for them, and equip them with the tools that are necessary for them to grow into fully functional, independent, contributing, loving adults. There are some parents who do not take their responsibility as stewards of their children seriously enough. As a result, these children often grow up without the internal resources necessary to function well in a changing world. Other parents (with good intentions of course) believe that they own their children. In this situation, they force their children to become reflections of themselves or they create a codependent environment. Empty nest syndrome is particularly hard on these families.

But the principle of stewardship is much larger than just parenting. Stewardship requires care and nurture of our mind, body, soul, animals, and the environment. We have each been given a mind. How have you nurtured and enhanced your mind in recent times? Have you struggled with complex issues facing our society and are you really being honest about the positions you hold? How about your body? Do you view your body as the temple of the Holy Spirit, caring for it and tending it when it gets sick? What about the environment? Do you care about the air, water, and land by consciously conserving utilities, buying a car that gets good gas mileage, or by minimizing the waste that you dispose of in a land fill? How you treat the environment today, will have a significant impact on future generations.

What about the care and nurture of the gospel that has been handed down to us? Have you been an icon of hope, a messenger of good news, a partner in prayer? Have you reached out to those in need? The Church is still the paramount vehicle for spreading the gospel. Do you generously support your church with the giving of your time, your talent, and your money? Do you see the Church as a blessing in your life; a blessing that requires care and nurture in order for it to continue for future generations?

We have all been greatly blessed by God. We have so much to be grateful for. This gratitude requires us to care for and nurture all of the blessings that have been given to us. And as we become grateful stewards, justice will become the operating principle, not only for today, but for future generations. It is stewardship that promotes justice and determines a a future that is of God.

As Paul reminds us in his letter to the Philippians: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 2) Herein summarizes the principle of stewardship.

Updated 9/29/02

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