Living Stewardship, Every Day

“For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God
more than burnt offerings."
--Hosea 6:6

“You’d better practice what you preach,” was one of my grandmother’s routine admonitions to her children and grandchildren. She was concerned that our actions matched our talk, and that we were always conscious of the ramifications of our choices—no matter how small or great they might be.

Maggie Rogers certainly did practice what she preached, and it helped her and my grandfather successfully rear 10 children on a small family farm in the foothills of eastern Kentucky. The five boys and five girls grew up to become preachers, teachers, business people, and farmers, people of faith and character. Maggie and George taught them well, imparting strong lessons about the value of family, hard work, education, and most importantly about honoring and serving God.

She had no more than a grade school education and her financial means were extremely limited, yet she possessed one of the most generous and loving spirits I’ve every known, and she was an amazing steward of time and resources. She gladly welcomed kin and stranger to her table, always coming up with a bounteous meal. No one left her home empty-handed. She’d press a bag of apples, a quart jar of beans or jelly, or some homemade apple half-moon pies into your arms along with a hug and a prayer for your safety. Like so many women of her generation, Maggie knew what really mattered—God and folks.

I am reminded of my grandmother and her legacy in reading the lessons for the fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Hosea 5:15-6:6; Romans 4:13-25; Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26). The prophet Hosea cuts straight to the chase in outlining what God desires from God’s people: mercy and the knowledge of God more than showy worship and hollow ritual. Paul lifts up Abraham and Sarah as examples of what it looks like to be in a right relationship with God, of how enduring faith is lived out in one’s life. Finally, in the gospel lesson, Jesus echoes those words from Hosea. He shows mercy to an assortment of people, from tax collectors to an unclean woman to the daughter of a ruler. There is no show, no pretense; Jesus offers compassion and healing, regardless of rank, gender, or status.

We are called, like Matthew, to follow him. We are called, like the ruler and the unclean woman who had hemorrhaged for more than a decade, to place our faith in him and experience healing of body and soul. We are called to show mercy, not to fuss about things that ultimately won’t matter.

What does this mean for us as we try to follow Jesus and be faithful stewards of our life and resources? It may mean paying extra for a pound of coffee to ensure that those who grow and harvest it receive a decent wage. It could mean passing up a purchase because the item in question was made in a country where human rights abuses are rampant. It could also mean diverting some of our own abundant resources to help address the growing food crisis or eating more simply ourselves. Perhaps it might involve learning to garden, to put food by, to press a home-canned jar of salsa or pickles into someone’s hands as a tangible sign of hospitality and care.

Whatever this means for you and for me, like my grandmother said, “You’d better practice what you preach.” Let us show mercy. Let us love and serve God. And let us always be careful and gentle stewards of God’s good creation and our neighbors near and far.