A Family Resemblance

By George Antonakos

Last week in this column we were invited to participate in a thoughtful stewardship exercise entitled "Six Days to a Prayerful Decision." I encourage you to give it a worthy effort in the coming week. As I looked over the material I began thinking about what it is that undergirds the entire enterprise.

I'm fairly certain that most of us have heard many reasons why congregations launch Stewardship efforts. Some believe the reason is to "meet the budget." Other motivations have been captured in the age old remark, "they only care about my money." Another reason often used to encourage "fund-raisers" is that it provides a unifying opportunity to serve the Lord together.

Some of the reasons above miss the mark more than others, but they all fall short of the most compelling reason. Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, Chaplain of the United States Senate put it this way - "If I had to select one word to describe the nature of God it would be grace. The word flashes like a diamond held up in the light. It means giving, forgiving, unchanging, unmotivated, unconditional love."

In other words, the reality that most calls us to respond to this life with generosity is the grace of God. Since we serve a God that has poured himself out for us and for our salvation, it makes complete sense that those who proclaim to follow him would resemble God's graciousness. Carrying out the "family resemblance" is one way to think about Stewardship.

Every now and then one of our members at Central will bring back worship bulletins and other materials from congregations they have visited. One such brochure revealed the way a sister Presbyterian Church defined stewardship. Note the tie-in between grace and stewardship in the following quote:

"We believe that Christian stewardship is our response to God's grace and gift of redeeming love through Jesus Christ, a measure of our gratitude. It is a discipline that calls us to be faithful and systematic givers. Financial giving becomes a sign of freedom from the dependence on our own resources and a celebration of our dependence on God's grace. We encourage people to give in proportion to the grace they have received and have experienced in Jesus Christ."

This reveals why Central Presbyterian Church is such a generous congregation. It is a reflection of how we understand and act upon the grace of God in our lives. In this coming week I hope that you will join others who, by responding to God's grace in their lives, do commit generously a responsible portion of all that God has given them; to undergird and support the vital ministries of Central Presbyterian Church.

I invite you to make full use of the "Six Days" materials and to read the above definition of stewardship each day that you sit down and think about what is being asked of you. I know that if we will all do so in the grace of God, we will corporately reflect the likeness of our Heavenly Father in our giving.

See also:

• Six Days
• The Benefits of Generosity
• Investing For Eternity