Stewardship
At Christ Church, we find ourselves in a fine, historic building that cost almost £12,000 to build in the 1860’s. Today, it’s insured for almost £9 million.
If we as a modest sized Christian community (250 on the electoral roll and 800 at Christmas) were starting from scratch, we would have to find land for a church and we would be barely able to afford a tent to worship in.
So, we should be aware that the beautiful church that we worship in, the fine music and liturgy that we enjoy, the excellent work with children and young people, and the outreach to the wider community, are only partly our own doing – overwhelmingly, our present circumstances owe a great deal to the generosity of previous generations.
And that is to consider simply the ‘physical’ facts of our situation. As Christians, we must be supremely grateful to God for the gift of life and the gift of salvation and its promise of eternal life.
But how do we respond to the gifts that our predecessors have conferred on us and to God’s great gifts of life and of salvation?
Apart from those who contribute nothing, who ‘free-load’, there are three principal responses.
At the basic level, we may see the parish as a kind of golf club (I am told that subscriptions to local golf clubs range between £1,000 and £2,000 per year, apart from joining fees). So, recognising the advantages of belonging to Christ Church, we may ‘pay our subs’. The problem with this is that there isn’t really any giving involved. We see the parish as providing a service which we buy, just as we buy the right to play golf. It’s unlikely that this approach leaves any room for gratitude for the gift of life or salvation.
But we may go further than this and see the parish as a ‘good thing’. We may approve of Christ Church’s work with young people or its outreach to the wider community. Or, we may value maintaining a beautiful building and good worship at the heart of the community. We may see Christ Church as a good cause. If so, we approximately fulfil the second commandment of Jesus to ‘love your neighbour’: we give something for the benefit of others.
Or, we may go to a quite different level. We may give in response to that which has been freely given.
Do you remember how much you enjoyed receiving presents when you were child? Do you also remember the first experience of the pleasure of giving? I remember the thrill of using some pocket money when I was ten or eleven and taking a present home.
Giving our time and talents, including our wealth can be like this. We can recognise how much our predecessors have left us and want freely to emulate their generosity. Even more so, we can recognise how freely God has given to us – life and the promise of eternal life – and want freely and joyously to return his generosity.
Such giving will have two effects. First, it will enormously benefit our community and draw others into it. Without substantial giving – our total annual budget is £181,000 – the parish cannot sustain itself; and without each of us contributing our time and talents the parish will have no vitality. Second, such generosity will also change each of us. Responding to God’s love by loving others, by giving to them and serving them, we grow in stature and depth.
So, where do you stand in recognising God’s generosity and the generosity of our predecessors? Will you merely pay your sub? Or will you support the project? Or will you give freely, as you have freely received?
That is the fundamental decision to make. Then, there are the practicalities of signing up for regular giving and offering your time and talents.