Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 55; Deuteronomy 7:6-11; John 15:1-16; 1 John 5:6-12; Psalm 105
A couple of years ago, the faith community I serve started incorporating a new practice when it came to stewardship. Instead of defining stewardship simply through the amount of money one gives, we added “Service Sheets” in our sanctuary that allowed individuals to trek and then turn in the number of hours that gave in service to others in response to their faith in God. This broadened our understanding of what it means to give in healthy ways. When I came back from my sabbatical this fall, we took our understanding of stewardship to yet another level. In addition to the “Service Sheet” we added a second portion called “My Devotion Sheet”. This sheet allowed folks to include their time of personal devotion (i.e. prayer, daily devotional time, etc) to their giving for the week. Some wondered why we went this second step and invited folks to be aware of BOTH their service AND devotion time. Today’s lectionary passage from John explains it perfectly. In John 15:4, the author writes: “"In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me” (The Message). The passage reminds me that it is dangerous to engage in acts of service that are rooted solely in MY commitments and willpower. If I do this, the acts of service I give often don’t end up serving God – they end up serving MY own ego and agenda. And that’s not the worst of it. Because there are limits to my commitments and willpower, often I end up getting burned out in my service work and getting cynical about the impact of my service. If I am organically connected with God in a living, breathing relationship, however, I’ve found the acts of service that I engage in aren’t simply an expression of MY stuff – instead they are a genuine expression of my love for God. The best part is that when my service work is the result of this organic expression I rarely face burn out or cynicism! Today I invite you to explore the nature of your connection with God and the resulting fruits. My hope is that your relationship is an organic one that mirrors the image of the vine and branches. May God’s gracious spirit continue to water your vine so that the fruits of your relationship may be abundant! Til next time…
A couple of years ago, the faith community I serve started incorporating a new practice when it came to stewardship. Instead of defining stewardship simply through the amount of money one gives, we added “Service Sheets” in our sanctuary that allowed individuals to trek and then turn in the number of hours that gave in service to others in response to their faith in God. This broadened our understanding of what it means to give in healthy ways. When I came back from my sabbatical this fall, we took our understanding of stewardship to yet another level. In addition to the “Service Sheet” we added a second portion called “My Devotion Sheet”. This sheet allowed folks to include their time of personal devotion (i.e. prayer, daily devotional time, etc) to their giving for the week. Some wondered why we went this second step and invited folks to be aware of BOTH their service AND devotion time. Today’s lectionary passage from John explains it perfectly. In John 15:4, the author writes: “"In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me” (The Message). The passage reminds me that it is dangerous to engage in acts of service that are rooted solely in MY commitments and willpower. If I do this, the acts of service I give often don’t end up serving God – they end up serving MY own ego and agenda. And that’s not the worst of it. Because there are limits to my commitments and willpower, often I end up getting burned out in my service work and getting cynical about the impact of my service. If I am organically connected with God in a living, breathing relationship, however, I’ve found the acts of service that I engage in aren’t simply an expression of MY stuff – instead they are a genuine expression of my love for God. The best part is that when my service work is the result of this organic expression I rarely face burn out or cynicism! Today I invite you to explore the nature of your connection with God and the resulting fruits. My hope is that your relationship is an organic one that mirrors the image of the vine and branches. May God’s gracious spirit continue to water your vine so that the fruits of your relationship may be abundant! Til next time…
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