Deeper understandings Living generously
Changing the face of stewardship to live richly in faith toward God Editor’s note: This series is intended
That temptation is seen in current-
to be a public conversation among teach- ing theologians of the ELCA on various themes of our faith and the challenging issues of our day. It invites readers to engage in dialogue by posting comments online at the end of each article at www.
thelutheran.org. The series is edited by Philip D.W.
Krey, president of the Lutheran Theologi- cal Seminary at Philadelphia, on behalf of the presidents of the eight ELCA seminaries.
By Scott C. Schantzenbach I
n the ancient myths, Jason and the Argonauts joined in a search for the Golden Fleece. Their journey would
lead to an encounter with the dreaded Sirens, and therefore Orpheus, the mythical father of music, joined the quest. Unlike Odysseus of old who filled the ears of his crew with wax to prevent them from hearing the Sirens’ alluring call, Jason simply planned to have Orpheus sing a better song. Contrary to the melodies of our
consumer culture that tempt us toward debt, at the heart of our stew- ardship quest in the 21st century is the desire to sing a better song.
Author bio: Schantzenbach, an ELCA pastor, is an assistant to the bishop in the New Jersey Synod and a stewardship specialist.
day vocabulary, preferring the phrase “giving back” when referencing mat- ters of sharing, giving, philanthropy and stewardship. What is implied in this expression is a restoration of something to its rightful owner. The giver is called upon to exercise a sense of fairness, not to demonstrate gener- osity. This propensity to giving back creates and supports a life dominated by marketplace transactions rather than one transformed by a faith-filled relationship with Jesus. Recall the story Jesus told of the
rich fool in Luke 12:16-20. After building bigger barns to store his abundant crops, God said to the fool- ish man, “This very night your life is being demanded of you.” A closer reading of that story in the Greek text can be translated, “… ‘you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Foolish man, in this night they demand your soul from you.’ ” They are the “ample goods.” Recall John 3:16: “For God so loved
the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” God didn’t want the power of “perish” to claim us, so our creator was generous and shared the power of God’s love. Generous stewardship characterized by God’s relationship with us, sacrificial sharing and life- giving purpose spares one from the strangling hold of financial idolatry. In a culture defined by the Siren
songs of consumerism and transac- tional behavior, generosity is a far bet- ter life-giving song. The hard work of stewardship
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is turning from the transactional behaviors and embracing a life trans- formed and redeemed by Christ. For many the term stewardship means the annual tithe or church budget talk. Unfortunately, stewards are fre- quently viewed as a “resource” rather than as followers of Jesus. The coun- terpoint to this trend is captured in that most commonly memorized text, John 3:16. This is our song that we sing as we steer through the lure of the consumer culture’s sirens around us.
Generosity says it all This song is all about that central Lutheran focus on grace. A steward leader might easily substitute the word generosity. Four points meld together in this one word to define stewardship and characterize the core value of every steward leader: generosity. • God gave the Son for the world and put us in a loving relationship with God. • God gave first. God loved us first so that we can love. In other words, God shared so that we share. • God forfeited God’s only Son. God gave sacrificially so we are free to give sacrificially, not for our salvation but in joy and thanksgiving. Jesus is the only example the world needs. Now we have the freedom to give for the sake of the gospel. • God’s gift was purposeful. God’s gift was life-giving and thus our giving can be intentional for the sake of the gospel and the church. Thus we can sing joyfully in four-part harmony. Generosity, the operative virtue in stewardship, is defined by life-giving
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