Stewardship "Olympic" Training

Have you been following the Olympic trials? These Olympians have been training for a very long time out of the spotlight for that one moment of competition. Olympic training made me think of some of the times in the Bible when the Christian journey is compared to athletic competition. John Wesley in particular was aware that while belief is necessary, belief alone isn't enough. He developed a lifestyle that people made fun of, calling it's followers Methodists. The name went from derisive to one of the most respected Christian communities in the world.

Wesley's method was NOT a means of earning grace from God, it was the means of recognizing, learning about, and living out the grace already surrounding us. We may want to be Stewards, but we need to know how to do that. As my husband said when I was talking about this with him, he saw a current analogy, "If you want to be a Fashionista - you can't just sit at home and watch ads on TV, you have to go to the store." (Thanks to a certain retailer for that concept.)

Wesley's Method wasn't just for beginners. It was the way in which those mature in the faith maintained their faithfulness as well as acting as inspiration and teachers for newcomers.

So - I invite you to take part in an experiment, using the 6 weeks between now and the end of the Olympics as a Stewardship Olympic Training period. Remember, being part of the Circle of Stewards doesn't consist of doing any specific stewardship task, but in creating a mindset in which everything we do is done from the point of view of a steward. This Stewardship Olympic training regimen is simple and can take as little as 5 minutes a day, although longer is of course better. Here's the plan. Set aside some specific time to read one of the Stewardship thought starters I will provide below (or use one of your own choosing) and then let your mind be open to thinking about it, feeling how it makes you feel, asking God to help you understand its meaning, or if you can practice stillness, opening you mind in silence to hear what God may be saying to you. That's it. Six weeks, 5-20 minutes a day focusing on a Stewardship meditation. You can do this any time anywhere. I plan to use the Olympic logo as a reminder each time I see it to be faithful to my six-week plan, and remind me of the meditation I've adopted. If you are a person who journals, it might be interesting to record how you feel about this project or about the meditation you have adopted as the 6 weeks goes by.

Below are some meditations. I invite you to post your own suggested meditations to add to the list.

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Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received...so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ.  (I Peter 4:10-11)

From the poet Rumi
Walk out of your house like a shepherd.

Time is a gift, not a burden to be managed or to be crammed full with dubious activities. (From Afire with God)

Joseph had a dream. (Genesis 37:5)

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1:31)

I am about to build a temple for the name of the Lord my God. (2 Chronicles 2:4)

The foundation of all charity is the discernment  that you as an individual or a congregation have something of inestimable value that gives you hope for tomorrow.  (From Beyond the Collection Plate)

Now finish the work so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. (2 Corinthians 8:11)

First go and be reconciled with your brother. Then come and offer your gift. (Matt 5:23-24)

As a goose flaps its wings it creates uplift for the goose flying behind it. By flying in a V formation, the entire flock adds 71% more flying range than as if each goose flew alone. (from Generous People)

God requires only one sacrifice, myself, and therefore my lifestyle and God's mission are one. (From Beyond the Collection Plate)

If anyone wants to be first, he must be the servant of all. (Mark 9:35)

Not what I will, but what You will.  (Mark 14:36)

In all these things we are more than conquerors though Him who loved us. (Romans 8:36-37)

We would offer Thee this day with sobered minds what we are that to the enrichment of our lives, and of all life, thou mayest make of it what thou wilt. (We Would Offer, by Paul Scherer)

Happy 4th of July!

Lincoln said in a famous address to Congress, “Fellow Citizens, we cannot escape history.” I would paraphrase, My fellow Christians, we cannot escape stewardship. Too harsh? My point is, we are all stewards, it comes with the territory of being human. The only question is what type of stewards we will be. It's kind of like the gift of being born a citizen of the United States. That status is our birthright. We choose whether to be active or passive citizens, but we are born citizens. Citizenship may be gift or a burden depending on what we are called to do and how we view that call. The same is true of stewardship. We all have gifts, resources, time, talent, the only question is how and for whom will we use them. We have all been given the Earth and human relationships, the only question is, how will we care for them? 

John Wright shared a bit of church history with me that got me to thinking in a new direction. It seems that the administrative structure of the Methodist Church originally used the term Stewards rather than Administrative Board for its chief administrative body. My initial reaction was we lost something when we adopted a corporate rather than Biblical language for our church. Then a different interpretation came to mind. If there is a small group designated as Stewards, that lets all the rest of us off the hook. If we have a Stewardship Team, do we delegate the stewardship function to them and not take responsibility for our own stewarding?  Out of these thoughts has come the experiment called the Circle of Stewards. Thanks for joining our circle and have a joyful and safe July 4.

A Matter of Perspective

I was reading a meditation in "God Calling" today about perspective. It had to do with going out, service, and meditation or prayer, spending time with God. Most of us spend our lives in the "going out" phase and try to set aside some of what we have left over for God. The perspective of the meditation was that if we viewed all of our time as being with God and set aside some for "going out" stuff, we would do a better job of everything we do on both levels. The meditation didn't advise use about where we put our body, but where we put our mind as our body carries out necessary tasks or service work. That seemed to me to relate to stewardship. If I started my day with the question to God, "What are we going to do in the world today to further building your kingdom on earth?" I wonder how my day would go?

Roadblocks and Detours

It was my privilege  last summer to interview Craig Hella Johnson, founder and conductor of Conspirare. This music group is one of Austin’s live music organizations that you won’t see on ACL, but one that actually won a Grammy Award. (They made a cameo appearance at Life in the City a few months ago.) Mr. Hella Johnson developed a unique presentation style that has revolutionized the concept of choral music, no mean fete.

During my years of service on the Austin Arts Commission, I encountered many artists struggling to express their individual artistic visions. Usually they were focused on their own self expression. I heard a very different story from Craig Hella Johnson. He told about facing a concert in which he knew his music would not connect with his audience, his despair at facing the possibility, and his determination to find some way to bridge the gap between Renaissance art and contemporary audiences. Johnson knew in his heart the gift this music had to give, and from personal experience, he understood the barriers that stood between the audience and that gift. He went into retreat at Galveston, determined not to return until he had found a solution. The answer came from his own experience of feeling alienated from a performance of “high art.” Here is his story.

Although he had been well taught as a high school student, when he arrived at St. Olafs University, Johnson was sometimes overtaken with what he terms “museum fear,” a feeling of reticence about his ability to embrace “high music.” This feeling was particularly strong when the campus en masse was attending a performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. “Everyone on campus was attending. I stayed in my dorm room. However, the performance was broadcast live on radio, so I turned it on to listen.”  He noted with proper respect the impressive opening chords, the recitatives and vocal excellence. Then came the chorale, familiar from years of playing organ in a Lutheran church. “Bach in his wisdom and generosity had included an old familiar chorale in this magnificent work.” That moment of touching the familiar in the midst of the grandeur of the Bach oratorio broke through his emotional barrier. “I found myself crying. I threw on my clothes and ran across the campus to the concert.”

From this experience, and his determination to bridge the gap between the audience and the music, Johnson developed a unique style that combines contemporary popular music with the highest of high art, and incidentally put him and his organization on the international map. For Johnson however, it’s all about the invitation, never about himself or his artistic expression. 

As stewards of the kingdom of God, what do we need to do to remove the barriers between unchurched people and the wonderful gift of the grace of God?

Discerning and Discovering

I love "Discover" magazine. Every time I pick it up, I'm shown just how miraculous all of creation is. It fascinates me that I can look at a leaf and see a leaf, while a scientist with the aid of equipment and imagination gets to see a whole universe that's invisible to me.

As I read this magazine dedicated to bridging the gap between someone like me and a research scientist, I'm always struck with the scientific pursuit of what is really true, what is so fundamental to the structure of the material world, that it can be replicated in experiments by anyone anywhere and come up with the same conclusion. Now I read that there may be universes in which those things we all agree on as being true about our physical world aren't true at all. There are places where things just don't work the way they do here. What do I do with that bit of information?

In this blog we talk about living a Steward's life as relating with everything and everyone according to it's true nature. Unfortunately, we can't always be sure how to do that. In fact, we disagree as heartily about the true nature of the universe as we do about its creation. Where does this leave the would be Steward?

I hope you aren't looking for an answer here. The best I have to offer is a series of questions. What is the truth of the scripture, not the surface appearance that I can see with my naked eye, but the deep truth? What is the knowledge handed down to me by scholars? What does my Methodist tradition tell me? In the silence of my meditation room, what do I discern in my own stilled mind? What are the results of my actions in the world? For me, the Steward's life is about asking the questions, living the answers, and evaluating the results with faith that once in a while, I'll get it right.

Whom do I serve?

When we refer to stewards as caretakers, it's easy to slip into a misunderstanding of relationships. We speak of God, ourselves as stewards, and the world of which we are stewards, making those seem like three distinct entities. We hear this type of language in any caring or serving situation in which we use the word "they." We serve breakfast on Tuesday for the homeless, "them." But Jesus said whatever we do to the least of  his brothers, we do to him. I don't think this was a metaphor. Jesus also described to us the Holy Spirit, God present with us, God living in and among us. From this point of view, there is no they or them anywhere, there is only us. When I serve as a steward feeding the hungry, it is as if my right hand brings food to my mouth to nourish my left hand. When I serve God's community, I am also a part of God's community, so I serve myself. When I care for the world, I care for the creation which is the manifestation of God's creative force. I too am part of that manifestation. I care for myself. Stewardship isn't a noble life lived at one's own expense for the glory of God and service to others. It isn't being a servant bowing in obedience. Stewardship is understanding the true relationship among things, people, and God, and living in accordance with the nature of that relationship.

Community Building

We talk a lot about stewardship as caring for things - the earth, the church, resources - but not all caring is material. Stewards care for the community, for the health, strength, vitality, compassion, and life of the community. Everything we say within the community, the attitude we bring to every activity, builds or destroys community. Stewards listen to what is said, observe body language, hear the deep message of their co-community member's words, and act in ways that build community.  Stewards prepare themselves so they know how to react when they hear talk among members that is destructive of community.

St Paul wrote to the Ephesians about community building saying, "Be completely humble and gentle, be patient bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace...speak the truth in a spirit of love." (Ephesians 4: 2-3, 15). "Speaking the Truth in Love" by by Ruth Koch and Kenneth Hauck is a good reference for learning these stewardship skills.

FUMC started this weekend with a series of conversations, Holy Conversations, about its future. As with any time of change, there will be some less-than-holy side conversations going on. It is my hope that the Circle of Stewards will be awake and aware and hold its arms firmly but lovingly around this body of Christ as it passes through the necessary pangs of rebirth.