Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear,in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." ~ Luke 1:68-79
This Sunday is our Stewardship Sunday and I am thinking about a dozen different ways to get there from here. I'm also thinking about all that Spouse and I must do before we drive off to Virginia. We leave Monday evening. To that end, I have spent this week with one foot in Advent and another foot in Stewardship. They may for fantastic playmates. I recommend it.
Now, I know why Stewardship season is in the fall. You have to put the next year's budget together so naturally you talk about money in the fall. It makes sense. Got it. But that it smacks right up against Advent is what is genius. You see, our resources are not to maintain our institutions. No, we pledge our lives to the present and coming Reign of God. Yep. That's Stewardship. The building, the bills, all those things need minding. Sure. But in the end it is the Kingdom that matters most. That is all. And that is the people in the world being Christ...That is the work of the Church. It is healing and peacemaking and sharing what we have with the poor and liberating the oppressed no matter what the final outcome because we believe that the Kingdom of God has come down and is present with us now.
It's not an easy thing to raise money for. No. It is intimidating and a little slippery for some. But raising money for a building that serves as a clubhouse for the Elect is missing the point entirely. This is a pitfall that every congregation no matter what the denomination will encounter from time to time. It is unavoidable. But if we are wise, self-aware and discerning, we can work our way out of it and actually give ourselves to the world.,,like Christ.
In other news:
In preparation for Advent, we are putting together a book of meditations on the holiday season at CCW. It's a great tradition. I love to read what people write. Some of it is quite lovely. Every year I try my hand at some poetry. My previous post is a poem by my friend, David Weasley. The following is my attempt.
The tree is surrounded.
Once again our friends gather
and they decorate.
They laugh at one another.
“I've missed you!â€
They critique one another.
“No! Not there!â€
The arrangement of baubles
is of national importance, you know.
It is.
Red by green but not by blue
and never two of one color together.
Lights should be clear
and never colored.
Unless you think that
lights should be colored
and never clear.
Once again,
we are a people divided.
And we celebrate
and play,
and sing,
and hang baubles,
and then we eat.
There is always food.
Christ was born in a manger
and lived with the poor
ate with the sinners
and died a murder's death.
Raised on the third day,
we remember him together,
as an infant.
Safe for now,
poor, but safe.
So we gather together
(for safety?)
and we celebrate.
Jesus is smiling.
God rejoices, “Gloria!â€
with the angels
for the work is about to begin.
Together.
Reconciled.
Beloved.
Hodie, Cristus natus es!
