Go in peace! Serve the Lord! Thanks be to God!

 

The words above, familiar to millions of Lutherans as the sending prayer to conclude weekly worship, shine brilliantly in their simplicity and power. The prayer captures the essence of our discipleship response to the Gospel:

Go! We are active, not static. And neither are we stationary. Our mission calls us to venture outside our churches, beyond our personal space, outside our comfort zones. We go wherever God sends us.

In peace! Faith conquers needless fears and unreasonable worry. God clears our vision, wipes away our tears, and gives us confidence and strength.

Serve! Whatever shape and direction our ministries take us, they are all, ultimately, service. That is, it is not for our own benefit and interest that we labor, but for people around us. We do what we are instructed.

The Lord! Matthew 25 tells us when we serve the least of God’s people, we are serving Jesus himself. In all our service, therefore, we serve God

Thanks be to God! We are thankful for all we have received: for our faith, for the honor of being called and sent, for the privilege of serving the one true God. For all these things the only attitude is one of gratitude.

-Rob Blezard, editor and webmaster
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New This Week:


Stewardship: Managing the Christian Life
Here is an interesting take on Christian stewardship in the most prosperous nation the world has ever from Gary Moore, author of a number of books, including Faithful Finances 101. "I’d like to tell you that studies say the more we make and have, the more we give and save. And I’d like to tell you that the same studies say we’re growing happier. Unfortunately, that’s not the case."  Click here for "Managing the Christian Life." Check out Moore's website, Financial Seminary.

The Debt Slayers: Christian Financial Advisors
Pastors, do members of your flock struggle with credit cards? They're not alone. Americans are blessed with record wealth, but paradoxically are accumulating record amounts of debt as well. This article looks at the growing boom of Christian financial advisors, including the guy in the previous resource. Click here for "The Debt Slayers." Good reading from ChristianityToday.com

Jesus' subversive message
 "One week the Sunday school lesson was on Jesus saying, "If someone asks for your coat, give him your cloak also."  The teacher clearly understood the subversive message of Jesus but it made her uncomfortable. She said, "Jesus didn't really mean for you to do that." Really? Then just what did Jesus mean?" Click here for this column from the archives of pastor Dana Reardon. Click here to peruse others.


Stewardship: A handbook.
Here's a resource available for free PDF download - a sort of "stewardship 101" guide for congregational leaders. It covers a variety of topics, from Scripture references to programs to nurturing stewardship. It's prepared by the Episcopal Church of Scotland, and the principles apply just as well this side of the Atlantic. Click here for "Stewardship: A handbook," from The Episcopal Network for Stewardship. This week's Treasure Chest offering.

Joke of the Week!


Weekly Gleanings, a sampling of articles with stewardship implications from the popular press.

Message is (c) Copyright 2004 by the Rev. Rob Blezard. Permission is granted to publish the message for local, nonprofit use. Please drop me a line to rcblezard@earthlink.net to let me know you're using it, and be sure to publish it with the following notice:

(c) Copyright 2004 by the Rev. Rob Blezard, webmaster for the Stewardship of Life Institute, www.stewardshipoflife.org. Used by permission.