Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you!
As I write this letter, I am attending the LCMS conference called Best Practices for Ministry in Phoenix, Arizona. This conference gathers pastors, DCEs, teachers, and lay people to share best practices from their ministry with each other.
While there, I reflected upon the teaching that there are five aspects of congregational life, and I remember it by the acronym WIFE’S.
Worship (receiving forgiveness of sins and, in response, singing praises)
Instruction (studying the Word of God privately and with others in small and large groups)
Fellowship (sharing time and your faith with one another)
Evangelism (serving others in love and telling others the good news of salvation)
Stewardship (understanding that all you have is owned by God to be used in God-pleasing ways)
We must be faithful stewards. When you mention stewardship, most think of money, our treasure, but we need to be good stewards of our time and talents, too! As stewards, we acknowledge who we are, and what we have are gifts from God. God’s Word tells us that nothing belongs to us. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof the world and those who dwell therein…” (Ps 24:1)
It is difficult to remember that God owns everything because we work hard for our incomes. We have sweated and toiled in our jobs and focused energy on our careers, allowing many of us to increase our net worth.
But the truth is that we came into the world with nothing and will leave with nothing. Only for a short time that God gives us on this earth will we possess a few things. These possessions belonged to somebody before us and will belong to others after us.
The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we live on are gifts we enjoy from the overflow of God’s love. The love of God, the gift of God’s Son, Jesus, the forgiveness of sins, the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and life eternal are gifts to us from God.
This understanding that all of life is a gift and that God owns everything prompts a shift in our understanding of stewardship. We no longer see stewardship as just acts of giving. Through faith, we see stewardship as faithfully receiving and caring for all God entrusts to us. It is a privilege to enjoy, use, and manage what belongs to God.
Everything ultimately belongs to God. It isn’t the other way around at all. We only think it is. So be a good steward and fulfill the WIFE’S responsibilities!
God be with you!
Pastor Hartwig