A Vision for Transformation and Service: Open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works.
Having been raised in the church, albeit a different denomination, tithing and stewardship were emphasized throughout my life. These concepts are not new to me. While the concepts are not new, the practice has not always been an easy one to implement. Having the faith of knowing that the money sent to the church will “go to the right place,” or having the faith to know that once I cut that check, funds will be there in the event the air conditioner goes out and needs to be replaced….all of the earthly, mortal, “self” concerns creep in. Some days are better than others and faith tends to ebb and flow sometimes. But then it dawns…my faith is grounded in God as our father/mother, who knows how to give His/Her children good gifts.
This is where I find myself in my journey on this day. I am awestruck by the generosity and majesty of our Creator. I am also humbled to know that God desires communion with me! The psalmist wrote in Psalm 8: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals, that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
This awe and wonder at God’s majesty create in me a sense of joy…joy to be a part of a family of believers and joy to participate both financially, giving back a portion of what God has given me, and in sharing of myself. God gave us things, but God also gave us time. I eagerly give of my time to show God’s love to others both in my path and outside of my path. I eagerly strive to be a good steward of all that God has given, to include our planet and her resources. Many times I fall short, but God’s generosity to me has instilled a desire to be generous with both the church and community. This gives me a sense of deeper communion with our creator and with creation.
I look forward to the joyous Consecration Sunday, October 14, 2018. This will be a time of celebration of God’s gifts to us and a time to prayerfully and excitedly join together as a family to offer our gifts back to God. I hope that each of you will be there to celebrate together with me.
~Gina Halfacre
