Pray for a Stewardship 'Aha' Moment

This kind of experience reveals why pastors and laypeople should continue to teach and preach generosity to a usually skeptical  crowd, and why we should continue to ask people to ponder the meaning of Jesus' teachings on economics (for instance, in last week's Gospel reading when he told disciples to sell their possessions and give alms!).

Here's what happened: Dad was reading Luke's account of the crucifixion. Inspirational lightning struck when he got to the part where Jesus looked up and cried, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do!" Dad realized that Jesus wasn't speaking only about the losers who crucified him, but of the whole sorry lot of humanity -- anybody and everybody who ever grunted and sweated under the sun. Of course we don't know what we're doing, because if we did, we wouldn't do it. For Dad, the enormity of forgiveness that God has for humanity suddenly "sunk in."

Relaying this revelation to me over the phone, Dad was brimming with joy and peace and light, not one watt dimmed by the fact that one or two others in 2000 years of Christianity had been given the same revelation. His joy was fresh and genuine.

God's Word has a wonderful way of working on us. We can read the same passages again and again, and then, without warning ,God will reveal its truth in the deepest corners of our souls. It will fill us with joy, fill us with peace -- both will come bubbling out of our lips, we are so eager to tell everyone.

Tithers and Christians who practice radical generosity frequently tell of this kind of "aha" moment when it comes to the relationship with their material wealth. They read Jesus' many teachings on wealth and money, words such as,  "store not treasures on earth ... but in heaven," or "where your treasure is, your heart will be also," and they get it. Really get it. And they rejoice.

They realize that giving away "stuff" is not a sacrifice at all, but rather a blessing. They realize all their clinging to material wealth and hoarding money has brought them only misery and fear. Generosity is freedom.

That's why we should continue to preach about and study Jesus' teachings on wealth and money, even when our members fidget and look out the window. Even when their eyes glaze over we keep preaching because you never know when the Holy Spirit will open the doors of someone's heart and they will "get it." And their lives will never be the same again.  

-Rob Blezard, editor and webmaster
Reprint rights gladly given to congregations for nonprofit use. Just include this notice: "Copyright (c) 2007 the Rev. Robert Blezard, www.stewardshipoflife.org. Used by permission."

New This Week:

Stewardship: How to Get Started and What to Expect
The Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, held a big stewardship conference earlier this year that looked at stewardship in the parish. Lucky for everybody else they have made the presentations available online. Good nuts and bolts stuff. Click here for “How to Get Started and What to Expect,” from the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth. 


Look for Blessings in Any Adversity
"The doctors that who have treated my two kinds of cancer have reason to believe I will recover. But none of us is sure how much time we have. What we have is time to give thanks for the fact that we were given the chance to experience the richness of God's creation. And to give thanks for the people that we share this life with." Click here for “Look for Blessings in Any Adversity,” this week’s essay from The Rev. Dana Reardon, our regular columnist. Click here to read archived essays. 


Talk About Money in Your Church
The title serves as a command, as well as a good topic. Many churches are silent on the topic of money, and that is a mistake. “The primary reason to preach and teach about stewardship is this: our attitude and relationship to money is a key discipleship issue.” Nice reading. Click here for Talk About Money in Your Church, from Building Church Leaders.