Stewardship
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Generosity is a journey
It’s a practice that we learn and nurture within our hearts. It just isn’t in our nature to give away what we have worked hard to acquire or to donate our precious time without compensation. It takes something as radical as Love to inspire us to share our time, talent, and treasure with others. This is a journey we make together, a Walk in Love.
As we have lived with the Gospel of St. Mark this year we have been brought into a world turned radically upside down. The laws and customs that had been in place for centuries were challenged, power and dominion have been questioned, and a culture hemmed in from all sides by oppression and subjection desperately seeks a way forward.
As it turns out, it is not clever politics or force that cause the change in society, but the simplest concept of Love. Jesus causes a revolution of thought and heart by daring to reach out to the outcast and teach others to do the same. He walks in love with the marginalized, with the poor, with the sick, and brings us along with him on his journey.
The most miraculous gift of Love is that it was there within us all along, all we had to do was find it, tap into it, and begin growing it. And look what happened? We learned to share, to give, to volunteer, to accompany others, to feed, to pray, to visit, to strive for change. This year as St. Aidan’s Stewardship Campaign kicks off, we will be intentionally raising up stories of how we Walk in Love with each other in our congregation. We invite you to share your stories of inspiration and connection with our shared ministry in this place and with each other. We invite you to Walk in Love.
“Gracious God, we give thanks for these gifts, the promises of our members for giving in the year to come. We pray that you inspire us with the example of your freely-given love to serve our neighbors, heal the world, and strengthen our community. Bless these intentions, pledges, and promises of our wealth, works, and wisdom for the needs of our church. Amen.”