Author: Pastor Aleese Kenitzer

As a part of our four-week series on “Rethinking Stewardship: Stewardship as Discipleship,” we spent this past weekend considering stewardship as an act of gratitude. Mirroring the story of the 10 lepers, one of which returned to offer thanks and praise to Jesus, we highlighted how gratitude is more than something that “should” be done. Gratitude is an echo, a response, to the ways in which we have experienced the grace, the life, the healing, and the forgiveness offered to us through Christ. 

The more we live in these gifts of Christ, the more we are attuned to their work in our lives. And the more we are attuned to their work in our lives, the more we are naturally inclined to return to our Lord in praise and thanksgiving. 

So this week, before even thinking about what you’re grateful for, first, consider where and how you have experienced Christ’s grace in your life (past or present). How have you experienced forgiveness? A second chance? Reconciliation? Healing? Community with Christ and with others? Recall these moments as gifts from Christ, and as you’re led by the Spirit, offer your thanks and praise for all that God has done, and continues to do, through you.

Often, I find myself saying “thank you” to people around me who do something for me or for Shepherd. We all need to be thanked, and we all need to know that what we do matters for others. But recently, after saying “thank you” to a member at Shepherd, his response was, “Pastor, I was just doing what had to be done…”

The encounter made me stop and smile in gratitude for this person’s servant heart. And this past week, as I was reading our Gospel passage from Sunday, I couldn’t help but think of this person’s response. In short, in the second half of our Gospel reading, Jesus tells a story of the responsibility of a slave to complete his work both in the fields and in the home. Though the use of “slave” may catch our attention – especially when considering our country’s history of slavery – what Jesus is doing is pointing his disciples to a truth: that doing the work God has commanded us to do is not to be something that is done for the sake of rewards, or accolades, or recognition. Rather, to do the work God has commanded us to do is something we are called to do just because “it needs done.” For that reason, we are to see ourselves as “unmeritorious” servants of Christ. 

So this week, as you find yourself interacting with others, consider how you may be called to act in faith – doing something for another just because “it needs done.” It might not be a large act. But any act, done in faith, has the power to make a lasting impact. 

“Stewardship.” Just say the word, and for some, this word immediately carries baggage. Unfortunately, at times this word has been correlated with only requests for money.  And, over time, the word “stewardship” has become a word that is used less frequently in our day-to-day speech. 

But here’s the thing: whether we recognize it or, many of us are practicing stewardship each and every day. 

• Does faith impact the way you choose to live your life? 
• Have you offered gratitude to God, to others, and to yourself lately? 
• Have you offered yourself for the sake of another? 
• And finally, have you been willing to open your eyes to the realities of your neighbors who have crossed your path?

If you said “yes” to any of the above questions, then, you’re a steward. 

In the words of Grace Pomroy Duddy, “Stewardship is the way we love God and neighbor with our whole lives – not just our wallets. Understood this way, stewardship is life-giving and life-encompassing. Stewardship is discipleship.”

So, taking our cue from Grace, this month at Shepherd we’re going to explore four “acts” of stewardship (also “acts” of discipleship): stewardship as an act of faith (Oct 2), an act of gratitude (Oct 9), an act of generosity (Oct 16), and an act of justice (Oct 23). Through these weeks, we’ll engage in these themes during worship and will have some opportunities for you to practice these “acts” of stewardship outside of our church community. 

As children of God, we have been gifted so, so much – namely, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ which shapes and forms us as new creations. So this week, as you prepare to join us for our first week’s focus, I encourage you to give thanks for God’s gift of grace given to you. Because from that gift, we have been given a foundation in which to center the whole of our lives. 

Have you ever felt the desire to engage with God’s Word, but not know where to start? Or, when looking at your schedule, do you ever feel overwhelmed with the thought of putting one more thing in the day? You’re not alone!

This past weekend, as a part of our Bible Blessing Sunday, we shared a list of apps that provide short daily opportunities to get into Scripture. Take a look below and try out a few of the apps to see what you (and/or your family!) like best! All apps available for Android and Apple phones. 

Apps for Adults 

1. You Version Bible | A free Bible app to look up Scripture passages and engage in various Bible studies and devotionals. Possible to be notified each day for a verse of the day. Download on Apple Store or Google Play. 

2. The BibleProject | A free app that equips you to see the Bible’s larger story. Videos, podcasts, and reading plans in the app. Material can be read or listened to. Download on Apple Store or Google Play or view online. 

2. Lectio 365 | A free daily devotional, with morning and evening devotions (about 10 minutes), that helps you pray the Bible. Devotion can be read or listened to. Download on Apple Store or Google Play. 

4. Everyday Sanctuary | A free app that offers a simple 5-minute spiritual practice, including time to reflect on a short verse, offer gratitude, and close in prayer. Material is read. Download on Apple Store or Google Play. 

Apps for Children and Family

1. Bible App for Kids | A free children’s version of the YouVersion Bible app. Includes interactive activities and videos to help kids explore the big stories of the Bible. Download on Apple Store or Google Play. 

2. God for Kids Family Devotional | A free app that that features interactive games to get to know key stories of the Bible. Aimed for preschoolers and kids under 10. Download on Apple Store or Google Play. 

Growing up, I somehow caught the message that parables of Jesus were meant to have one meaning, one moral teaching, one point. However, the longer I’ve explored Scripture, and the way that rabbis taught during the time of Jesus, I’ve re-examined this assumption. Though my black-and-white mind wants to approach parables in such a way, the truth is that parables are meant to challenge us and leave us with multiple interpretations. Further, parables are meant to allow each of us to enter into Scripture where we’re at. 

This past Sunday, we heard the parable of the sheep in which 99 remain, but 1 goes astray. During worship, we explored how each of us are less like shepherds (ironic, given how often I refer to you all as “Shepherds”) and are more like sheep. But even as a sheep, it likely varies from time to time if we see ourselves as a part of the 99 that remain in the fold with the shepherd, or if we see ourselves as the 1 lone sheep that went astray. If we’re honest, we’ve been both…and perhaps are both at the same time. But where we find ourselves in the parable, at this moment, may lead us to take something different away from this story. 

So this week, I encourage you to re-engage with the parable one more time. If you find yourself resonating with the 1 sheep who is lost, confess your lost-ness to God and trust that God will seek you wherever you are. Or, if you find yourself resonating with the clump of 99 sheep, consider how you may be called to offer yourself to those around you who may feel lost…or to rejoice with those who are joining the fold of God’s keeping.

Consider diving in…one more time. And consider examining where you see yourself – in relationship with God, with yourself, and with others. And from that time of devotion and prayer, trust that wherever you find yourself, together, we are the people of God’s pasture and the sheep of God’s hand (Psalm 95:6-7).

Along with many in the Muscatine community, recently I took my annual pilgrimage to the local greenhouse to purchase a selection of vegetables and flowers. Carefully transferring these delicate samplings into my car and then into the ground, I was proud of myself creating an environment for those little guys to grow.  Taking a step back, it baffled me to think that, by the end of the summer, those thin samplings would emerge into full-blown plants needing cages to support them!

Dusting off my gloves, I made my way inside. But as I was grabbing a glass of water in the kitchen, my eye caught a succulent in a small, small pot. The succulent was a gift from a friend, given years ago, and clearly, the plant had outgrown the pot. For quite some time, repotting the plant had been an item on my to-do list. But I’d been stalling. It takes work to re-pot, I told myself. It takes time. It takes energy. And it takes new materials to work with. So, with all those excuses, for months that little succulent had stayed in a miniature pot even though it truly, truly needed something bigger.

But alas, after tending to plants outside, I recognized that maybe it was time to create a better environment for my plants inside. So, with a trip to the basement for a bigger pot, and a trip to Menards to get the right potting soil, that little succulent finally got a better home. And lo and behold, in the short time since that succulent has been in a bigger pot, the growth I’ve witnessed has been nothing short of mind-boggling.

Cleaning up my materials, it made me wonder about the times in our lives in which we keep ourselves in a smaller pot than we really need.  We might recognize that something needs to change, that we’re settling, or that we need something “more” to really grow. But that takes extra work. Extra time. Extra energy. And, sometimes, other supplies or tools than we currently have at our disposal. So, we make excuses. Other things, or other people, need our attention, we tell ourselves.

But here’s the thing: when we finally allow ourselves to be replanted in a bigger pot, there’s often a heck of a lot of growth. So much so that it’s mind-boggling.

So as you look to the summer, I encourage you to consider if there are ways in which you are keeping yourself in a smaller pot than you really need in order to grow. Might there be parts of your life that need to be re-potted? Where are you feeling constricted? Where are you playing it “small”?

Just like those small samplings at our local greenhouses are not meant to stay six inches tall, you also are not meant to remain the same. You were created to grow and to thrive. So seek out those extra supplies and tools if you need ‘em and get your hands a little dirty. Because the result might very well be mind-boggling growth.