May 7 - 13 , 2007

SOLI/Update

  www.stewardshipoflife.org



Live the Motto: 'In God We Trust'

Some demons can be cast out, Jesus instructed his disciples, only through prayer and fasting. It’s a teaching on the power of temporary, voluntary self-denial to energize us and focus our intention.

Every one of the hundreds of millions of coins and bills printed by the United States Treasury contains these four wonderful words: "In God We Trust."

The motto was adopted in the mid-19th century to remind everyone that we are a Christian nation (the U.S. Treasury details the history -- click here for the fact sheet), but it actually serves a much higher purpose.

Reading the Gospels, you find that Jesus talks a lot about money and its ability to lure God's children away from the path of righteousness. When money is abundant, then temptation abounds proportionally. For citizens of the richest country the world has ever known, money is our primary distraction and preoccupation.

When we have money and the power and the comfort that money provides, it's too easy for us to trust in those things instead of the One True God Almighty. Maybe that's why the Gospel found (and still finds) richest soil in the poor, marginalized and despairing. The poor trust God and they have few other choices. 

"In God We Trust" provides an appropriate reminder for all of us, and right where we need it most. The truth is, most of us don't really trust God. We trust our money.

If people really trusted in God then meeting church budgets and providing money for mission work would not be such an exercise in pulling teeth year after year. If people trusted God, then the church would have all it needs to feed the poor, clothe the naked, educate the ignorant and care for the aged and the sick.

Maybe another place we need to inscribe "In God We Trust" is on our collection plates. Oh, and our hearts, too.

 --Rob Blezard, webmaster and editor.

Reprint rights gladly extended for nonprofit use, just so long as you include this notice: "Copyright (c) 2007, the Rev. Robert Blezard, www.stewardshipoflife.org. Used by permission."

New This Week:

 Orthodox Stewardship: Responding to God's Gifts
Here are some lesson plans to guide you in teaching stewardship to children and young adults -- but everybody can learn something from these Bible-based guides. They are geared for an Orthodox audience but the concepts are easily adapted. Click here for "Orthodox Stewardship: Responding to God's Gifts," from the Orthodox Church in America's Department of Christian Education.


Growth is Not an Option'
"Are you one of the congregations that wonder how you can inject new life and a new spirit?  Are you facing major roadblocks in growth because a lack of new members?.There is only one way to turn that situation around," says this essay. Click here for "Growth is Not an Option," from Tuck Aaker, stewardship columnist for ELCA Stewardship Resources.


Pastor, You Can Increase the Giving in Your Church
Many ordained ministers avoid stepping into the arena of money and stewardship, but that's a mistake because a pastor is in the best position to lead the church in responsible, faithful stewardship. This article suggests looking at three areas of your ministry. Click here for "Pastor, You Can Increase the Giving in Your Church," from Congregational Resource Center of the Alban Institute.


Discovering the Manna Principle
"Evangelism—sharing gospel good news—happens when God's unconditional love is preached in every worship service and is lived in every aspect of congregational life. Stewardship sermons cannot be guilt-inducing sermons, but ones that invite people to receive God's love and participate in sharing that love with others." It's an essay and an accompanying Bible study of the "Manna Principle." Click here for “Discovering the Manna Principle,” from the The United Church of Canada.