Hi! Pastor Doug here:
If you have figured out nothing else about
me in this first year and a half we have shared in ministry together, you
should have discovered this: I am continuously excited and charged up about
sharing God’s word in worship, using the spoken word, (2 Timothy 3:16) beautiful
song, (Psalm 96:1) and
even compelling images (John 14:8-9) to proclaim God’s love and faithfulness to us
each and every Sunday. So it is fitting that this stewardship letter will
revolve around one of my favorite stewardship songs, “What Have We to Offer,”
written by Ray Makeever, one of the wonderful Lutheran hymn writers of today.
What have we to offer? What have we to share?
Coins from the coffer, hearts filled with care.
God will not falter; so let us dare lay it at the altar there.
We’re more than just occupants of this
earth as God has blessed each of us with lavish gifts. (Deuteronomy 7:13) So how
then do we give thanks to God for all God’s abundance toward us? (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Financial support
of God’s work in the world through God’s church can often be an afterthought,
something to do if we find a little left over. It’s a good thing God doesn’t
just toss us leftovers for our lives: instead he sent the Son to live among us,
to suffer persecution and insult just like us, and die on a cross to bring
salvation to us. (2 Peter 1:3)
So in this month of thanksgiving, take
time to prayerfully consider what God has given you. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Then, think about how you can respond.
The top section of the card included in this mailing allows you to make a
covenant between you and God alone, a covenant that says “thank you” for all
the rich blessings God has brought to your life. (Psalm 107:21-22) Consider
what percentage of your income you give as a thank-offering to God and then
consider increasing that figure by one percent. For most of us that would be
around $10 per week, the equivalent of a couple of beverages at your favorite
java joint.
It may not sound like a lot, but think of
it this way: that $10 per week would pay for our confirmation materials and
curriculum for the entire year with a few bags of treats to spare. That same
amount purchases the words we put on the screen each Sunday for 55 weeks. Also,
$10 each week would fund our entire Vacation Bible School program this year.
God guides the leaders of the church to
use these financial gifts with wisdom and thoughtfulness. (James 3:17) With God
leading the way, even when we make a mistake along the way it works out for the
good of God’s people. “God will not falter; so let us dare lay it at the altar
there.”
What have we to offer? What have we to bring?
Love, ripe with laughter; hope that we can sing;
dreams of what we’re after; promises of when. Lay it at the altar then.
So here we are at my favorite verse of
this song—the one that begins to remind us that our lives as stewards are so
much more than just the giving of our financial wealth. Even more importantly,
we offer ourselves up to God to use us just as we are. Our loving hearts, our
sense of humor, and our deep-seated hope that comes out in song are just but a
few of the traits we possess that God will use to reach out to each other and
to a world consumed with darkness. (Romans
8:28) Our love, our laughter, and
our hope is light to the world when we share it. Even the dreams we have for
our lives—our families, our vocations, our communities, our church—are gifts
from God as we imagine possibilities instead of impossibilities, abilities
instead of shortcomings, and wholeness instead of brokenness.
Without our positive outlook and
willingness to be vulnerable, we would never imagine that 14 of our youth could
have the opportunity to worship, pray, and serve alongside 30,000 others with a
common goal and common God. We would never enjoy the fellowship of Noodle
Nights and Cribbage Games. We could not come together with God each Sunday to
this place, (Hebrews 13:15) built on the hopes and dreams of so many, to
worship our God and receive Jesus’ body and blood in a loving and welcoming
gathering of brothers and sisters in Christ.
We need your ideas; we need your dreams! (Job 33:15-18) This is how God’s church truly grows into a
community that cares for, enjoys, and loves one another more deeply and wholly.
The church’s one foundation IS Jesus
Christ its Lord, and we together are God’s living stones. (1 Peter 2) What can
we build together? Let’s lay our hopes and dreams at the altar.
What have we to offer? What have we to give?
Eyes that are wide open; lies that we won’t live;
truth that must be spoken; justice somehow. Lay it at the altar
now.
We know that because of the power of sin
that this world isn’t a perfect place. People go hungry, some live on the
streets, many are lonely, a few want to give up completely. We do need to keep
our eyes wide open to see the poverty, both physical and spiritual, which is
around us every day. We need to stop lying to ourselves that someone else will
take care of the problems in the desire to free ourselves of any feelings of
guilt and helplessness. Because Jesus reached out to the needy, the outcast,
the broken, the lost, and the forgotten. (Matthew
25:35, Luke 14:13) In our words of
confession each week we pray that God will help us become less selfish and
truly look out to help and heal our brothers and sisters in Christ who have
lost their way in many ways.
We are God’s church that strives for
justice on behalf of those who feel they have no voice. It is God’s mission
through us to help provide for everyone’s daily bread, to help the homeless
secure safe lodging, and to encourage those left behind to seek out
opportunities to improve their place in this world. (Isaiah 58:6-10) When we see
injustice in the world, it is up to us as God’s people to seek just and fair
solutions that bring wholeness and healing that breaks down the walls between
people of all races, creeds, and classes. Only by working together with God’s
guidance can we truly bring people in unity to God’s altar of grace and
abundance.
What have we to offer?
What have we to give?
Lives we will live.
What happens if we dedicate our time,
talents, treasure, and even our whole lives to God’s great purpose? God uses
us—everything we have and everything that we are—in blessing us to be a
blessing. (Genesis 12; Zechariah 8) As we live in the world, we along with all of
God’s people, in thanksgiving for all the gifts God has given us, can share in
our own unique ways the love of God for God’s people. We can help deliver God’s
daily bread and by doing so spread the gospel to all who are fed by God’s grace
and mercy.
Stewardship isn’t a program and it’s not
an annual appeal. It’s a way of living that all of us should willingly embrace
as we grow in faith and love of God. (Proverbs
11:24) Let’s all join in giving
thanks and praise to the One who created and sustains us. Let’s share God’s
great abundance with the world around us, right around the corner and all the
way around the world. For the opportunity to do just that: Thanks be to God!
We are all blessed to be a blessing!
Living in God’s abundance,
Pastor Doug Holtz
What Have We to Offer, © 1982 by Ray Makeever,
administered by Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis. Reprinted by permission through
OneLicense.net
