During Eastertide (April 20-June 8), we are discerning how God wants each of us to work and serve in the world AND discerning our pledges of time, talent and money that we will make to serve and contribute to our collective ministry in the year ahead.
Here is our mantra for the season:
“God has given me a gift of my own. I don’t have to do it all. We have what we need. Using our gifts is filled with joy.” This week, we are focusing on the first part: “God has given me a gift of my own.”
Last week, Kent and Amy started off a new series on stewardship. They helped us see that stewardship is about more than just making pledges to meet a budget (though pledges are important). Stewardship is bigger than that; it’s about tending the things we care about.
Our theme this week is “God has given me a gift of my own.” According to the Apostle Paul, each one of us is given a gift from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12: 4 – 11). It’s true! Each one of us has something unique, God-given gift to offer.
But what if you don’t know what your gift is? Maybe you know what your gift is, but then something happens that causes you to doubt yourself? How do we stay true to our God-given gifts in the face of doubt and uncertainty? How do we discern what our gifts truly are?
Whether you know what your gift is, or whether you are still discerning, I hope you’ll come Sunday so we can dive deeper together.
In faith,
Anna Jeide-Detweiler
After worship this Sunday: Creative Discernment exercise
As part of our Eastertide Stewardship Theme of Discernment, we will offer a short session this Sunday directly after worship in the Prayground (15-30 minutes). It will be a creative exercise to help us think about the stories that shape our lives, how they inform our values and how we live them out.
Eastertide & Stewardship Season Themes:
May 4th – Intro to Discernment, 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
May 11th – God has given me a gift of my own, 1 Corinthians 12: 4 – 11
May 18th – I don’t have to do it all, Romans 12:6 – 8
May 25th – We have what we need, Ephesians 4: 11 – 14
June 1st – Celebrating our high school seniors, church school teachers
June 8th – Using my gifts is filled with joy, Galatians 5:22-23
Image: Ricardo Levins Morales “All we have to offer is ourselves” https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/all-we-have-to-offer-is-ourselves/
