From the Rector: Generosity & Wholeness

From the Stewardship Banquet

I want to thank everyone who made last Sunday's Stewardship Banquet such a great success. The Stewardship Team really outdid themselves this year, and we had a super good attendance. The photo is from Lindsay Kamm's stewardship talk at the dinner. Lindsay is the former chair of the Diocesan Stewardship Committee, and for years she has coordinated the stewardship campaign at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Lihue. She shared her own stewardship journey beautifully with us. Pledge Cards have been distributed to the congregation, and they may be placed in the offering any Sunday between now and All Saints Sunday, November 1. View the Stewardship Webpage for more information. 

As Christians we are called to be generous. The world may persuade us to build up of our own self-interests or status, but this is not the vocation to which Christ calls us. Rather we give of ourselves because it is good for our hearts and minds to do so. We cannot be a people of Christ’s health and wholeness if we do not open up our time, talent, and treasure to God and to others.

We must constantly remind ourselves that we do not own anything we have. Everything – our bodies, our hearts, our minds, our possessions – they are all loaned to us from God. We are simply stewards of everything we have, and we have been entrusted with God’s possessions to be generous. Simply put, God expects us to share what God has generously given us.

Everyone knows how it feels good to give – it is a gift to share one’s resources. If it does not feel good to do so, than we probably are not giving away enough, and we need more practice in the art of generosity. This is an endeavor each of us must learn to do, even when the world constantly teaches us to grasp for more and more. Ultimately God’s goal for humanity is the life of Jesus Christ – such a life did not grasp selfishly, but rather gave generously. 

Father Paul Lillie