On Sunday, we celebrated Laity Sunday. We learned that stewardship is not just about money. It includes our time, our talents, our treasure and more. Biblically, stewardship is about relationship with God, God’s people and God’s creation. The church, as we know it, exists to help us grow in these relationships. Giving is not about the need of the institution to receive but about the needs of Christian disciples to give as they grow and grow as they give.

  Lay speakers combine words and actions in leadership roles with their churches and communities. They combine words with deeds giving love and service. Both the Bible and Christian experience point to the importance of proclaiming God’s transforming love for a broken world.

  We learned that each disciple (church member) is “gifted” with one or more spiritual gifts. These are skills given by the Holy Spirit for the express purpose of serving the body of believers and thereby God.

  I didn’t know what my “gift” was until a former pastor asked me and the Sunday School kids to provide a worship experience. I didn’t know how we were going to accomplish this but the pastor shared materials with me and encouraged me and we accomplished our first and many more worship experiences. I eventually went “solo” and have been doing sermons for over 25 years. One thing that I had to do was to get out of my comfort zone and stretch myself, and it was definitely worth it. This is one of my spiritual gifts and I thoroughly enjoy it! Where are your gifts? What do you like to do? I know that not everyone likes to get up in front of people and talk but there is so much more that you can do in your church. You can be a Sunday School teacher, a nursery worker, attend worship, sing in the choir, participate in the chime choir, attend Bible Study, serve on a committee, help out with funeral dinners, participate in fun and fellowship activities, be a volunteer with Caring and Sharing, prepare and serve communion, host a coffee hour after worship, and we are all good stewards when we make a financial commitment to carry on the good news message.

  Several scriptures speak to us about our gifts; take time to read them, pray about them, and perhaps put them into action. Scriptures that the Apostle Paul shares with us are found in Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4.

  Being a good steward of the time God gives us can be difficult in our culture. There are many demands upon our lives that we can barely escape for a time of rest and relaxation. But God calls us to be faithful stewards of our time, using it to deepen our relationship with Christ, to do good to others, to exercise our bodies – in general to take care of ourselves, spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically. How we use our time is a reflection of our faith and a witness to others. Stewardship of our talents and gifts is another way that we honor God in our lives. God has given us spiritual gifts and abilities to be used to further the kingdom and uplift and strengthen the body of Christ. Each of us has been gifted in a unique way to serve God and others. Even if we happen to have the same gifts as others, our personalities and passions make the use of that gift unique and equally necessary. We have other gifts from God that are important and should be taken care of or managed well. Those are the gifts of family, friends, our congregation, the animals and the earth – all of God’s creation. In fact, these are just as precious, or should be, as our money.

  If the Apostle Paul were to be our guest speaker today, he would continue to provide guidance to Timothy and to all of us. Paul urged Timothy to “continue in the things which he had learned” and to “preach the word” at all times and under every circumstance, so that as many as possible might be convinced of God’s truth, admonished when necessary by those truths, and patiently instructed so they might properly apply those truths. This same message is so important even today. God’s word SAVES and EQUIPS!

  We need to remember that the Bible and the Holy Spirit are essential in our lives today. All scripture is given by inspiration of God – God breathes the thoughts and words into the minds of its writers, so that we can be confident as we read it today, that it reveals the very thoughts and words of God Himself! It is important today, because the world would have us believe that all religious beliefs are merely personal opinions and valid only for those who hold them. Consequently, the world claims that religious truth is not truth, but rather merely a reflection of personal values – values which are useful for guiding an individual in his or her life, but which cannot be applied in any absolute sense to society in general. THIS SIMPLY IS NOT TRUE. The word of God establishes a core set of values, which enriches our lives, but the word of God also establishes absolute truth – a moral standard of right and wrong, the proper identification of the true God and the accurate understanding of the human condition and God’s plan of remedy.

  If we know the Bible, it has a great power to help us when we need help the most. Whether we are sweating out a problem, trying to make a decision, concerned about the future, or trying to determine how to deal with family problems, the Bible can help us.

  We are all PARTNERS in MINISTRY! We have all been chosen! Because of our relationship with Jesus, we belong! We are ALL called to serve God!