November 12, 2006

32^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Stewardship Sunday

Preparation for Worship

After the Dalai Lama delivered a lecture, a member of the audience asked him what the answer to world hunger is. He responded, "Sharing."

God is a god of abundance, not a god of scarcity. Jesus reveals to us God's abundance when he offers so much bread to the people that there are twelve large baskets with leftover scraps (John 6:5-15), and when he makes his disciples catch so many fish that their boat nearly sinks (Luke 5:1-7). God doesn't give us just enough. God gives us more than enough: more bread and fish than we can eat, more love than we dared to ask for.

Henry Nouwen

On this Stewardship Sunday, we dedicate the gifts God has shared with us for his work in and through the ministries of Westminster Presbyterian Church. Our hymn selections today are reflective of the dedicated spirit of the "joyful giver," whom God loves. The prelude imagined as a dialogue between God and a faithful servant who responds in a joyful echo to Christ's call. Through the choir's anthem, we voice a prayer for God's guidance as we dedicate our lives and pledge to live so God can use us and our gifts to the fullest. The offertory is a setting of the African American spiritual, "Give Me Jesus." The text of this spiritual reminds us that our relationship with Christ is paramount above all earthly possessions.

     The quote from Nouwen reminds us that God’s gifts are abundant even in a culture of scarcity. Our call to Worship highlights God’s promises to provide for the poor and hungry. The confession stresses how greed is a central way we hurt ourselves and those around us. During the offertory, we present our faithful pledges for the coming year. We are reminded that we give not out of guilt, but out of gratitude.