Bulletin Stewardship Reflections for April 2nd to 30th, 2017
April 2nd – 5th Sunday of Lent
…and you shall know that I am the Lord
The people of Israel failed again and again to be good stewards of God’s covenant with them. A stiff-necked and prideful people, they followed their own advice. Still, God is always merciful, and through the prophet Ezekiel he promises to restore them, not simply for their own good, but to remind them of his divine sovereignty over all that they are ever able to accomplish or possess. God is the one and only true source of all of our talents, abilities, opportunities, and possessions. Humbly accepting this stewardship reality is the way to avoid a prideful disposition. Humility is the stewardship virtue that gets pride out of the way and enables God to use us, and the gifts given to us, to advance his Kingdom.
Copyright © 2017, by Joseph Daniel Potvin, Joppa Stewardship Leaders, Ottawa
April 9th – Passion Sunday
He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross. Therefore God highly exalted him…
Jesus humbled himself and became the suffering servant for our salvation. As stewards of the good news entrusted to us, we too may suffer for the faith from time to time. Jesus completely emptied himself in serving God’s purpose, and ultimately his suffering was rewarded. For us, being God’s servants has its rewards in the life to come, but also in the life we enjoy here and now. Rewards like peace of mind that comes from trusting in God, and the feeling that we are making a difference in the lives of others. Still, we may occasionally suffer rejection for being good stewards of what we profess to believe. So, we pray this Holy Week that we may empty ourselves of pride or fear, and have the humility, wisdom, and courage to share our faith where and when needed.
Copyright © 2017, by Joseph Daniel Potvin, Joppa Stewardship Leaders, Ottawa
April 16th – Easter Sunday
Each year at Easter Vigil we renew our baptismal promises. Our baptism changes us forever. Baptism calls us to be Disciples of Christ. Responding to the call to follow Jesus involves many choices – choosing a lifestyle of stewardship is the response of an authentic disciple. Stewardship is to walk the road of joy. When we take care to cultivate and share our gifts we experience the joy of returning our gifts to God with increase. Today we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, which changed our world forever. How might your discipleship and stewardship change your world, and the world around you, this year?
Copyright © 2017, by Joseph Daniel Potvin, Joppa Stewardship Leaders, Ottawa
April 23rd – 2nd Sunday of Easter
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe
Believing is seeing! Stewardship is rooted in the belief that all we possess, the goods of this earth, the relationships we enjoy, the talent and abilities we have, even our opportunities are all created by and come from our good and gracious God. Having this belief, we see all of life with new lenses – it’s all God’s gift, and he desires for us to be good stewards of it all. In believing this basic truth about stewardship our eyes are further opened to seeing God’s goodness and generosity everywhere around us.
Copyright © 2017, by Joseph Daniel Potvin, Joppa Stewardship Leaders, Ottawa
April 30th – 3rd Sunday of Easter
Today’s gospel is a familiar story. Why did these men not immediately recognize Jesus? With all the busyness of modern life, do we sometimes miss opportunities to recognize Christ in our midst? “Stewardship always starts with a personal experience of the Risen Christ in our midst and in our hearts” (Bishop Sylvester D. Ryan). Let us pray this Easter season, and all year, that we may be good stewards of each 24 hour day and take some time to quiet ourselves every day so that we may be attentive to the voice of God in our lives. Moreover, giving the Holy Spirit permission to guide all of our decision making processes and thoughts will aid us in drawing even closer to the risen Christ, and in doing so we become even better disciples and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Copyright © 2017, by Joseph Daniel Potvin, Joppa Stewardship Leaders, Ottawa
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