Hello again, everyone! It's been too long. I would like to preface the following article, which is also found in your July Connection, by explaining this new format we are going to be using for the Stewardship Blog. In addition to original content created exclusively for this blog, which will begin to resurface in the coming weeks, we will be posting the Stewardship Connection articles from the monthly Connection up on this site as well. I think that this will help us in two distinct ways. First, by allowing you, the reader, to interact more directly with us and provide your feedback regarding our monthly articles. Second, it will allow us to easily post more content on the site, and will allow the articles to be seen in more of a "big picture" context, in relation to other articles. We're excited to be getting reestablished, and hope to hear from all of you in the coming months. Now, on to the July Connection article.
In a recent Bible Study we learned according to author M. Douglas Meeks in his book, God The Economist, that there is an economic sphere in which we all reside. The sphere in which we reside is God's household. The order of God's household is reflective of God. God's household has those living according to the house and that the order (of the house) and that the order (of the house) is the economy of the household. That economy displays a universal welcome where the doors are always open and there is always room at the table and that everyone has a chore. The qualities of the household include equality, justice, kindness, mercy, forgiveness and love at least, where we live an alternative way of life reflecting the archetype of crucifixion/resurrection. Living this way gives us God's household. It is all about what we do and what we do is called Stewardship. The steward makes living in the household tolerable. We as stewards make living in the household tolerable. The scope of God's household is to dispense God by Spirituality in Stewardship. How do we dispense God and expand God's household by expanding a way of life that reflects who God is? We spread God's household by giving of our time, talents, and treasures learning to speak the language of spirituality and not necessarily the language of "religion."
Your Stewardship Team
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Welcome back stewardship " Team " mystery writer!
ReplyDeleteYou have been sorely missed. I love the statement " language of religion" as opposed to the "language of stewardship". So many times we encounter those who can recite, recant and reprimand " according to the Bible",in religious language, that does nothing to promote the good news of compassion,forgiveness and love like the language of spirituality. Fortunately there are Churches like Shiloh that remind us and work with us to promote God through our acts of stewardship. We know the difference between a tolerable household and and untolerable household is one in which were loved and shown love by our acts and the acts of those around us.
Shawn ...you're right. We ARE a team in Stewardship ministry so it really doesn't matter which one of us is writing since the content is not about an individual.
ReplyDeleteYou're also right on the money that religious rhetoric can be far from the real spiritual value inherent in Stewardship and that personal relationship we all have with God.
Randy