Community of Faith

The title above sounds very churchy, doesn't it? I mean you don't hear about the community of--I don't know--sneaker wearers do you? One of the problems about church sometimes is people are weirded out about the phrases we use, or sometimes even the words we use in certain contexts. Some people think it's like a club with its own special language--like learning elfish from Tolkien. But sometimes the words that the community of believers use are just good words to use. Stewardship is one of those words. To be a steward is to be a caretaker. What's wrong with that? To be a steward was a position of responsibility. It wasn't just a caretaker of goods, but people, too. A steward was responsible for making sure the help were fed and clothed and paid (or at least looked after with a roof over their head). I think we need to be reminded that we are stewards, not just of the church building, but of the people who come here.

How can we be better stewards of our church? Well, for one, we can pray for one another. Not just on Sunday mornings, but everyday. And pray not just for the people on the prayer list, but all the people who come in our doors, whether they are from one of the groups that use our building or the ladies who knit prayer shawls. We can remember to listen to each other when we do get together. Sometimes we are so anxious to share our stories and our thoughts we can't even hear that others are in need of being listened to more. We can help someone find a page in the hymnal, we can direct someone to the bathroom, we can simply say hi to someone who looks like they could use a smile. These are not big things. They do not cost you anything except maybe a few minutes. But they are outward signs of our caring. And we are a caring place. Let us share the stewardship of our God's love with all we encounter. Lent is a good time to try a new practice. Let's practice being good caregivers this year.

Let's let our light so shine before others that they can't help but see our good works!