CONSECRATION SUNDAY
9:30 AM on October 20, 2019
Luncheon to Follow
Stewardship is about more than pledge cards and church budgets. Like prayer, fasting, or Scripture reading, stewardship is a spiritual discipline. Our intentional use of time, talents, and treasure prepares us to be open to God’s leading.
In the Old Testament, God called upon the people of Israel to offer a share of the harvest to God. This share was to be the first portion, the best portion. The invitation was to keep God first in their lives. In response, God promises that we don’t need to worry about the other things. In the book of Proverbs, we read,
“Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine (Proverbs 3:9-10).”
In the New Testament, Jesus echoes the same invitation when he announces,
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33).”
When Jesus refers to “these things,” he includes food, drink, and clothes. “Giving our best to God” opens our eyes to God’s priorities, and we begin to recognize that worrying is a waste of time.
Every day, we seem to live with scarcity. I have more work than hours in the day. I have more month than a paycheck. In this mindset, we are so consumed with what we lack that we have nothing to share. There is nothing left for those we love. There is nothing left for those in need. There is nothing left for God.
God did not give to us out of a sense of scarcity. Instead, God gave us his Son out of his abundant love. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have been given an abundance of life. God gave us his best, and in response, we give him our best. When we do, God will keep his promises. With God’s priorities, we will discover that there will be plenty.
On Sunday, October 20, 2019, First Presbyterian Church will gather for Consecration Sunday at 9:30 AM. Instead of focusing on what’s leftover, our challenge this year is “giving our best to God.” In worship, Pastor Amy Little of Trinity Lutheran Church in Monroeville, Ohio will be giving the message. At that service, we will be filling out pledge cards, and together we will be dedicating those pledges to God. Afterward, we will celebrate with a luncheon.