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Rector's Blog
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
On Friday night at our core leaders meeting, I got a peek into God's dreams for St. Tim's in this new time. We gathered in Pat's capacious living room--over 50 of us. We shared where we have been and have learned so far about our Covenant community: the places in Scripture that so far speak most to us of God's covenant with us; and how we would describe Covenant community to someone who for the first time has darkened our door. And we also looked forward into the future to make connections between covenant and our community in new ways. How do we connect Covenant and our worship? How do we connect covenant and spiritual formation? What is the shape of our community now, and where is God leading us and shaping us in this new time? What is the image of covenant that God is calling us to see that unites our community? It was amazing to see and hear what people were discerning separately in groups and holding in common. I was excited and energized (thanking God!) for St. Tim's, its strong and wise core leaders. I was also thanking God for Kevin who planted the seeds of spiritual maturity here that are sprouting in people's lives.
Faithful leadership is really a lived-out principle of stewardship. Whether church leadership, parenting, friendship, I think it's the same principle: stewardship. Faithful leaders work hard doing things and shaping things and planting things that they may never see fully grow up. But like the wind through the leaves--you don't see the wind, but you see its effects--the effects of faithful leadership eventually show up. And sometimes that means after a leader moves on. This is as true of church leadership as it is parenting or being a friend to someone. Who fully sees the effects of one's parenting on one's children? Or the effects of our time and leadership in our relationships with others at work? Most of the time, we don't and can't. It's organic and if planted well sprouts in ways that we can't control or predict. You hope for the best, and you pray. That's what's being stewards is about--managing God's time and resources--to fulfill our purpose and God's mission in the world sometimes without the benefit of knowing how God will deploy and use what you've stewarded for Him. Being a steward is thus to be able to work within our limits: to say "I am doing the best I can and take responsibility for stewarding what I have been given to steward, and I entrust the rest to God and others." At some point, we reach that limit, see it, and appreciate it.
Money is certainly part of that. But people get hung up here. Stewardship involves but goes way beyond money. When we get the principle of stewardship, the focus goes from things like money to the heart, and the question of heart--is it moving towards God, or away from God? (Like a ball on a hill, it doesn't stay in one place for long.) That's the reference point and the effects of one's movement towards or away from God show up in money, as in time, and gifts use, and other places in life. I thank God for the hearts here that are moving towards God.
I am thankful for the way Kevin stewarded St. Tim's with his time and gifts. I am thankful for the way that the core leaders now are stewarding our Covenant community into a new chapter. And I am thankful for the fruitful discernment and insight into God's dreams that I am gaining for St. Tim's in this new time.
You can learn a lot about someone and where they are in life with this question: do you think that the best days of your life are behind you or are yet to come? As for the people of St. Tim's, the answer is clear: the best days are yet to come.
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