It's NOT a Dirty Word!

Ephesians 3:2 (ESV)

^“…assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you…”

All I have to do is say the word and I almost always get a similar reaction.  It doesn’t matter whether it’s in a sermon, a Bible class, a church council meeting or just a regular conversation.  All I have to do is say the word “steward” or “stewardship” and someone will groan.  Another will roll their eyes.  Someone else will grimace.  “Here is comes,” people will think to themselves, “the pastors going to ask for more money.”  “I wish I had stayed home from church today.  Well I guess it has to happen once a year.  Let’s just get this over and done with.”  You would think that the word “steward” is a vulgar and dirty word.

It’s not!  I am of the opinion that the only way you can call this a dirty word is when you look at where it comes from in the English language. The roots of the English word “steward” are in the old English word “stigweard” which means “keeper of the sty.”  This was first used of the “keeper of the cattle pen.”  I would imagine that was pretty dirty work.  But that’s the only way you could call this a dirty word.

I believe the words “steward” or “stewardship” are great words.  In classical Greek, the word literally means “the manager of the household.”    The word implies that you have been entrusted with something of value that belongs to someone else.  In Genesis Joseph was made a steward over the prison where he was held captive.  The warden thought so highly of Joseph’s skills, honesty and integrity that he entrusted Joseph with the management of that prison.  Later in Genesis Pharaoh would, for the same reasons, entrust Joseph with the management of all Egypt.  He made Joseph a steward, second only to Pharaoh. 

I don’t know about you, but to be known as someone who is trustworthy… to be so trusted that someone would put you in charge of some important task – to me that is a high honor.  I grew up working with and for my dad at his place of business.  I still remember the day when I was in high school, when dad left me alone on a construction project with certain tasks he really wanted me to get done.  “Wow,” I thought, “Dad really trusts me.”  That trust was a great gift from my father.

St. Paul sees the word “steward” the same way.  In Ephesians 3 he writes about “the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me…”  God had entrusted to Paul a role in God’s kingdom that was of the highest importance.  He had called Paul to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles.  He was to “steward God’s grace,” that is to tell the Gentiles that God loved them even though they didn’t deserve it, in fact loved them so much that He gave His Son Jesus to be their savior.”  That’s a big responsibility.  Yet Paul describes it as something God had “given” him.  Literally the word “given” refers to a “gracious giving.”  In other words, Paul no more deserved this calling than the Gentiles deserved God’s love.

God has also graciously given us the opportunity to be a part of His loving work in this world.  As a parent, a friend, a church member, an employee or employer, a neighbor, a student – in every role God has called you to – You are His steward.  Everything you have – your time, your talents and your treasures – are all a “stewardship” He has graciously entrusted to you. When you choose a school for your kids… when you teach them to pray… when you listen to and love your neighbor… when you give to the Lord’s work – all of that is stewardship.  As my dad allowing me to work with him and for him was a great gift – even greater is this gift that God gives to us - the opportunity to be a part of His working in this world. 

“But,” you may think, “I make a mess of things.  I make wrong choices. I am selfish and unwise. How can God entrust me with anything knowing I will fail?”  Because He is gracious.  He forgives.  That’s why Jesus died on the cross and rose again.  Though you and I fail, He will not.  All of that is implied in the wonderful word “steward.”  That’s not a dirty word.  That’s a great word. 

It's MY Room!

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it…”

Psalm 24:1a

I thought about doing this blog in the cemetery again.  After what better place to illustrate that we don’t really own anything in this world.  There are no storage facilities next to our graves in the cemetery.  But then I thought of this phrase, “It’s my room?”  Admittedly this is not one of the bedrooms my kids called their own.  It’s our extra bedroom where they stay when they come to visit us.  So it will have to do.

“It’s my room!”  I wonder how many parents have heard that from their kids.  Perhaps it was when you asked them to clean their rooms.  “It’s my room.  Why does it have to be cleaned?”  Maybe we  heard it whenever we tried to clean it ourselves, or went in there after something when they weren’t around. Maybe their brother or sister took something from their room without asking. “It’s my room!  These are my things.”  I remember thinking, “I pay the mortgage for that house and that bedroom.  I bought those things that you call your things.  Whose room is it really?” 

I kind of think that we all respond that way anytime the church brings up the subject of stewardship!  We get defensive.  The church… some charity is going to ask me to give up more of MY MONEY… MY THINGS… MY TIME… MY TALENTS.  Is that really any different than our kids insisting “It’s MY room?”

The ultimate truth is that their rooms didn’t really belong to me either.  I may have paid the mortgage but who gave me the job?  Who gave me the ability to earn the money to pay for that room?  In fact nothing really belongs to us!  (That’s why I was going to go to the cemetery – you can’t take it with you when you die.) That’s the first and most important truth at the heart of Biblical stewardship!  The Psalmist has it right.  “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it…”  Everything we have… everything in this world belongs to God.  What we have is on loan from Him.  

That’s the definition of a steward – he or she is a manager of what belongs to something else.  When our daughter wanted to paint her bedroom in Flower Mound, she had to make sure that was okay with us.  The first and foremost question a stewards asks is this, “What does the owner want me to with all that He has given me?”  

Why has God been so generous with you and me?  So we can provide food and drink, clothing and shoes, house and home for our families…. So we can love and care for our neighbors… so we can be productive workers in society… so we can give to and be a part of the work of sharing the good news about Jesus!  The list goes on and on.  Everything we do from choosing what to wear, to being an honest worker, to portioning out food to our children, to helping a neighbor, to giving to church – all of that is biblical stewardship.  That doesn’t mean that we must always answer yes when our kids or when our church asks for something.  But is does mean that our chief question should not be, “What do I want to do?”  Our first concern must always be – What does God want me to do?  After all, it/s NOT my room.  It’s HIS room!

Creatures of Habit

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,

But let us encourage one another –

And all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Hebrews 10:25

All the way to church this morning – walking and riding on the U-Bahn train – I kept thinking to myself, “Today, I am not going to get a Diet Coke.  I am going to get something different to drink.”  Yet as I walked into the gas station where I buy my drink in the morning, it was like somebody switched on my automatic pilot.  Without even thinking about it I did what I do pretty much every morning.  I went over, got a bottle of diet coke, and purchased it. 

I guess old habits are hard to break.  I am such a creature of habit.  This isn’t the only example.  When I get up in the morning, I do pretty much the same things in the same order every day.  I wake up. I lay in bed praying. I get out of bed.  I check on what the Cubs did last night, I take Molly for a walk.  I feed her.   I get washed up and ready for the day. I eat breakfast.  I pack up for work.  I go to work.  Linda will tell you I have other habits.  When I drink my orange juice, I leave one little sip in the bottom of the glass.  Why?  I don’t know.  Habit I guess.  That one drives her crazy.

That’s the thing with habits - some are good and some are not so good.  Saying “please,” “thank you,” and “you’re welcome” are good habits.  Not remembering to say those things is not a good habit. Eating potato chips and drinking diet coke each day is not such a good habit.  Eating grapes and drinking water would be a better one.  Some habits like smoking or eating candy, or drinking too much alcohol, or eating too much are not healthy.  Getting up and walking each day… eating right - Those habits are good. 

There are also spiritual habits – some good and some not so good.  Each of us has our own habitual sins.  For one it might be gossip… for another lying.  For one man it was the language he used.  When he talked, every other word was a vulgar word.  It was such a habit that he didn’t even realize he was doing it.   I have had many a person tell me that they haven’t been in church for a while because they got out of the habit.

Yes going to church is a habit… a good habit.  Taking time to pray… or failing to take the time – either one is a habit.  Reading your Bible or not reading it… attending Bible class or not attending… those are all habits.  Maybe you have heard of something called “spiritual disciplines.”  That’s just a fancy way of talking about healthy spiritual habits. Yes going to worship, reading your Bibles daily, attending a Bible Class, spending time in prayer, being regular at Holy Communion – those are all important, healthy spiritual habits.  Why?  Because in worship, in His Word, through Holy Communion God feeds and strengthens our faith with a healthy spiritual diet of His grace and forgiveness. He holds out to us His promises.  In prayer God invites you to practice your faith, to practice trusting Him and His promises.

These habits are important  I know from personal experience that when I get into bad habits in these areas, my faith grows weak.  I get anemic spiritually.  That’s why the writer to the Hebrews writes, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, But let us encourage one another…”  There is the key to stopping bad habits and developing good ones – having people to hold you accountable and encourage you.  In Flower Mound, I got in the habit of doing the dishes in the morning before I left for church. I got in that habit because Linda kept gently reminding and encouraging me. Then when I started she noticed and thanked me.  In groups like AA and Celebrate Recovery people have accountability partners who they can turn to when they are struggling with Alcohol or whatever their bad habit or hang-up is.  My role as pastor is to encourage people to be in the word.. to invite them to develop this habit… to remind them that being male is no excuse for not being in Bible class and so on.  Kendra is a big encouragement to me.  Periodically she comes in asks me , “How are you and Jesus doing?”  She means, “Are your praying?  Are you reading God’s word?” 

So I want to ask you – Is there someone you have asked to hold you accountable?  Who do you encourage?  That’s the key to stopping bad habits and developing good ones.. After all we are all creatures of habit. 

No More Goodbyes

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes,

And death shall be no more,

Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore,

for the former things have passed away.”

Rev. 21:4

Our grandson John hates saying goodbye.  Bethany posted a picture the other day on Facebook.  They had just taken Jon, Dora and Kellan to the airport for their return trip to Hungary.  In the picture John’s little heart was obviously broken.  He was crying his eyes out.  According to Bethany even after he stopped crying all John kept saying was “Want Kellan!  Want Kellan!” 

As I looked at that picture, I wanted to tell him, “John, we understand.”  While you and your parents went through passport control to go back to the USA, Nana and Pop Pop were standing behind, tears rolling down our cheeks.  The same thing happened as we went through security after Ben and Dillan dropped us at the airport in Buffalo.  I hate saying good bye. 

Yet in this world goodbyes are unavoidable.  Indeed the number of goodbyes only seems to increase as you get older.  I sat here today trying to think of all the major goodbyes in our lives over the last few years.    The list starts with saying goodbye to each of our kids as they left home for college.  I remember Jimmy Hughes and I as we left after taking our daughters to their first year of college.  All the way through southern Wisconsin Jimmy and I stared out opposite sides of his pickup truck.  That way the other wouldn’t see the tears.  Even harder was saying goodbye to each of our parents when they died. I remember the day we sent Jon off to China for the first time.  We have said goodbye to Lamb of God when I took this call… to good friends and worse to family as we moved across the ocean.  That part of traveling back to Germany has not gotten any easier. 

I share this not for sympathy but because I imagine there are just as many good byes in your life.  I bet you don’t like to say it any more than I do.  After all each good bye is a reminder that one day the hardest goodbye is coming.  I remember one time when my parents were visiting us in Texarkana.  My dad was laughing and joking with our kids.  In the front seat tears were rolling down my cheeks knowing that someday such moments would be over… that one day my dad would die.  That’s just a fact of life in this sin sick world – the goodbye of death comes to everyone.

Thank God for faith in Jesus.  That faith is our only hope in the face of death.  Remember what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians – “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who have fallen asleep or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.  We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.”  We grieve and miss our fellow believers who have died.  But we grieve with hope.  We have hope because Jesus rose from the dead.  That means believers don’t say goodbye to one another.  We use the German word “aufwiedersehen,” which means “Until I see you again.”  After all we are looking forward to an eternal reunion in heaven.  I don’t know how many times I have shared that with grieving families.

Today though, I want to take this a step farther. I want to share with you one of the great joys we look forward to in eternity with our Lord.  Yes, because of Him, on this side of death we grieve as those who have hope.  We say “aufwiedersehen” not “goodbye.”  Eternity will be even better.  Think for a moment about what these words tell us about the joys of heaven.  “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore,

for the former things have passed away.”  Did you catch that?  Death shall be no more!  Because of Jesus in eternity – there will be NO MORE GOODBYES.  Alleluia!  I can’t wait.  Amen.