Sermon for November 13th, 2022

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1 Chronicles 29:10-18 (OT p.387)

10Then 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. 11Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12Riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. 13And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your glorious name.

14“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. 15For we are aliens and transients before you, as were all our ancestors; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. 16O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 17I know, my God, that you search the heart and take pleasure in uprightness; in the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people who are present here offering freely and joyously to you. 18O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you.

2 Corinthians 9:6-15 (NT p.183)

6The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not regretfully or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. 9As it is written,“He scatters abroad; he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

10He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us, 12for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. 13Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your partnership with them and with all others, 14while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. 15Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Prayer for Illumination

Speak to us, living God, as you have spoken to our ancestors through the voices of your prophets, the breath of your Spirit, and the life of your Son, so that we may live according to your word; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Stewardship Sunday, Part 1

In medieval Europe, the steward was a high-ranking office in the court of the king. Perhaps the highest ranking office. The steward was responsible for the management of the king’s property, his staff, and his finances. All of the king’s resources flowed through the steward’s hands—everything that came in, and everything that went out.

A good and effective steward managed the king’s resources wisely and profitably, for the benefit of the king and the kingdom. A bad steward squandered the king’s resources, leaving the king (and the kingdom) in a weakened position.

Occasionally, a steward who was effective but wicked would use the power of his position to seize the king’s resources, depose the king, and make himself the new ruler. This was how the Carolingian dynasty began, which produced the emperor Charlemagne. It’s also the origin of the Stuart dynasty in Scotland and in England, which produced Mary Queen of Scots and her son, King James the first of England. In this case, the family’s origin as royal stewards is evident in the family name, Stuart.

All of this background is to explain the modern meaning of the word steward, and stewardship. It’s simply the way we manage our resources—our property, our finances, our family.

And yet, the origin of the word stewardship is also a subtle reminder of what both of our scripture passages today teach us: The resources we have been given (our property, our finances, our family) do not truly belong to us. They belong to the King of Kings, our creator and sustainer, our God from whom all blessings flow.

We’re simply managing these things for a season, hopefully for the benefit of the King and his Kingdom, which (if done well) also in turn benefits us, since we are part of God’s kingdom.

And of course, it is still just as tempting today as it ever was for us to seize what God has generously given us, putting ourselves in his place as Lord and King, master of our own lives, as we imagine.

But this is a mistake, since our lives are short, and God’s kingdom is eternal. We will someday be called to account for what we have done with all that our Heavenly King has entrusted to our care.

In a little while, I’ll be asking you to consider how you will steward your resources in the coming year for the benefit of God and God’s kingdom. But before we get to that, it’s worth remembering that churches (like ours) are also called to account for how they steward their resources. As a church, we are held accountable both by God AND by people like you who support us with your time, your talent, and your treasure.

So today, I want to introduce you to some people, some friends of our church, who can attest to the ways in which we are stewarding our resources—our facilities, our staff, our finances—to benefit and bless the community of El Paso, and God’s kingdom in this place. I hope their stories inspire you, and I hope you can see the important part you play in those stories when you support our church with your stewardship.

  1. John Robledo, El Paso Kids N Co
  2. Oscar Vazquez, Taft-Diaz Lodge
  3. Alma Lagarda, Cub Scout Pack 2

Pledge Cards

Pastoral Prayer & Lord’s Prayer