Trinity Episcopal Church: Worship at Trinity

Let the word of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be always acceptable in your sight, O Lord our strength and redeemer.

For the past four weeks we have been blessed to have John Ellis (sharing the video on the many thoughts of what giving and being a steward means not only to your parish but to all); Cheryl Taylor (sharing the frequently asked questions that we might be afraid to ask); Beth Moeller (sharing her learning and growth through participating and experiencing helping and walking with others who were homeless and marginalized); Mary Ellen Yaroshefski (sharing not only the work of the Mission Committee but how deeply it helps those who need it whether in our sight and out of our sight).

Their experiences of being members of Trinity as well as what stewardship means to each of them demonstrates just a few of the various ways that we are stewards. Thank you to each of you for the gift of your time and your willingness to share your personal experiences with us.

I have had a hard time knowing where to begin as we wrap up this small section of stewardship. All of us continue to be stewards of each other and this place in this time, and, i dare say, we will continue to be so.

These weeks of deep, personal sharing have led to today being our Sunday of Commitment for our pledges of time, talent and treasure for the coming year. Each week we have prayed for those pledges received to this point. We give thanks for all that we have received. You will be invited to bring your offering to the altar in just a little while. As you may remember, our hope is to hear from all who consider Trinity their spiritual home no matter what your gift may be.

Did you happen to notice that there is an abundance of stewardship topics in today's lessons?

I am sure that there could be more but time is limited and you don't really want me to go on and on now do you?

It seems we have been conditioned to live out of a sense of scarcity — that we will never have enough. What is it that we feel we have to have now? How can I possibly give more when things seem so tight? How do we see and experience God's abundance?

The two widows in today's lessons provide real insight about living in the present and being satisfied with what they have; where they are; to give freely with a deep and abiding respect in their relationship with god and others.

The strength, grace, and willingness of the widow in 1 Kings 17:8-16 to not only prepare the last known meal for hersef and son is profound! Then to have a stranger come to her and dare to ask her to share from the less than meager amount she has left could be overwhelming.... To my surprise she shares! Her witness and faith in God providing is so powerful as an outsider to others. (she knows of and believes in God!). As a result of her willingness to share she has more than enough returned to her. Can you imagine going through this experience?

In the Gospel (Mark 12:38-44) we hear, once again, of the widow giving all that she has even though by any standard it is seemingly inconsequential. I believe that her giving comes from her core. I am sure that she has benefited from others who have helped her. Now she is willing to return to her place of worship and give back in return... I notice that those who give extravagantly in the Gospel do so for appearances. This is sad, for me.

In both instances, across a span of time, there is a commonality that we do not need to give out of appearance or what is extra but from deep within. The same is true today.

Our hope, as your very small yet dedicated stewardship team, is that we all give of our time, talent and treasure out of a great sense of thanksgiving to the work that we are all called to do: Being the missioners and ministers of Trinity as we enter our 150th year of being a strong presence at this location and to those who come to our doors. And to those to whom we reach out to.

I give thanks for all who have come before us and considered Trinity their spiritual home or passed through our doors.

I give thanks for those who are here now and continue to pass through our doors.

I give thanks for those who are to come!

God is not done with us yet. There is still much more to come!

Please remember that John Ellis and I are ready and willing to talk with you about any aspect of stewardship at Trinity or in general; as is our parish leadership. We look forward hearing from you!

Beth Washburn's Stewardship Talk, 11 Nov 2012