Stewards
Mark 12:28-34[1]
“Stewardship” is not a word we use much these
days. When we do, it usually has something to do with money. Boards of
foundations exercise “stewardship” with the money entrusted to them. That means
they’re expected to be wise managers of those funds, both in terms of
fulfilling the purpose of the organization and in terms of making sound
decisions to ensure that the foundation continues to operate. We also talk
about “stewardship” with reference to natural resources. For example, we expect
the National Park Service to care for those public lands so that future
generations may enjoy their beauty. Of course, the other arena in which we use
the word “stewardship” is in the church. And to most of us, “stewardship”
equals the church asking its members to donate money to support its ministry.
I would say that the biblical view of the
Christian life views “stewardship” in a much broader way than that. The
starting place for all of it is the conviction that all that we are and all
that we have come to us as gifts from God. From our very existence, to our
gifts and abilities, to the opportunities we’ve had to make use of those skills,
it all falls under the category of “gift from God.” There’s no part of our
lives that we can say “I did this myself.” Even our most individual
achievements, when viewed from the biblical perspective, are made possible
because of all that God has given us. Whether it’s the ability to make music,
or shape students’ lives, or build a thriving business, or discover a new cure,
or work for the health and wellbeing of others, it’s all a gift from God.
Beyond that, since God not only created us,
but also gave us new life through Jesus Christ, from the biblical perspective,
we “belong” to God. As the statement of faith put it earlier, we “belong” to
him in that God has claimed us all as his children with his unconditional and
unfailing love. More than that, Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection mean that
we “belong” to God in that we have a hope and a future that comes from him and
from him alone. Our very ability to get up in the morning and face a new day
with the enthusiasm that comes from knowing that how we live and what we do in
this world makes a difference, both now and eternally, is ours because God has
given us new life through his son Jesus Christ.
All of that is necessary to understand our
Gospel lesson for today. In this section of Mark’s Gospel, the religious
leaders have been carrying on a debate with Jesus, hoping to make a fool out of
him in front of the crowds who followed him. One of them asked him which of
God’s commands was the “first,” or most important. It’s no coincidence that
Jesus chose love for God and love for neighbor in reply. The “first”
commandment came from the Shema,
which was and still is the heart of the Jewish faith (Deut 6:4-5): “Hear, O
Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall
love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with
all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mk 12:29-30). And the “second”
commandment (Lev 19:18), “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” is part of
a summary of God’s intentions for the way he wanted his people to live their
lives in the book of Leviticus.
These two “great” commands reflect a
fundamental framework of faith that runs throughout the whole Bible. God
created all that is, including us, out of his love. And God is in the process
of restoring all that is, including us, through what Jesus Christ did for us in
his death and resurrection. When we miss the fact that all that we are and all
that we have come to us from God’s love, both in creation and in salvation, we
can make the mistake of thinking that “stewardship” relates only to what we may
do at church. But from the biblical perspective God’s love claims our whole
lives.
So it is that we who are fortunate enough to
live our whole lives knowing that God loves us unconditionally and irrevocably are
called to love God in return with all that we are. That’s one way to summarize
“love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with
all your mind, and with all your strength.” God desires more than just our
money or a token amount of our time. God’s love claims our whole lives, our
very selves, everything we are and everything we have.
I think it’s natural to wonder what that’s
supposed look like in real life. Are we all meant to go live in a monastery or
a convent, devoting all our waking hours to worshiping and serving God? Are we
all called to dedicate ourselves to serve as ministers or missionaries? I’ve
been trying to learn what this means all my life, and I must confess, I’m not
sure any of us really has the answer. We can’t even love another person with
everything we are and everything we have. Not to the extent that the Bible calls
us to love God. How are we expected to love God in that way, given the fact
that we all fall short?
I think the best way we have to figure this
out is to look to Jesus. Jesus loved God with all his life. And from that love
for God flowed a way of living defined by the second “great” commandment: “You
shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus demonstrated his love for God by
treating all people with dignity, respect, fairness, compassion, and kindness,
which is the practical definition of “loving your neighbor” (Lev 19:9-18,
33-36). We show our love for God when we follow his example and commit all that
we are and all that we have to serving God’s purpose in this world.
I know that all sounds incredibly impractical,
if not downright impossible. Who can live their whole life in service to God.
There are bills to pay, and children to raise, and parents to care for, and
homes to maintain. And more than that, we all have activities we do for “fun”
to “re-create” the energy we need to take care of our responsibilities. How can
we possibly devote more than an hour here or there on a Sunday morning or a
Wednesday evening to God?
I believe it’s a matter of perspective. We can
view everything we do—working at our jobs, raising our families, and more—as a
way of living out our commitment to love God with all that we are and all that
we have. What God wants from us, and what God has always wanted from those who
love him, is nothing less than all our lives. That’s what stewardship means in
the Bible. It means to love God with all our lives. It’s not primarily about
money, it’s about our hearts. It’s not primarily about how we spend our time,
it’s about making the choice again and again to turn the gift of God’s love
into love for other people. When that perspective on all of life is the
starting point for all that we do, then what we give, whether money or time or
service, will flow naturally and joyfully from a heart that’s overwhelmed with
gratitude for the love we’ve received.
[1] ©
2024 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm PhD on 11/3/2024 for
Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
