Stewardship
Turning Toward Giving
To everything – turn, turn, turn,
there is a season – turn, turn, turn,
and a time for every purpose under heaven.
~ Pete Seeger and Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Our stewardship campaign has kicked off with the theme, “Turning toward Giving.” Believe it or not, the words of the folk song, “Turn, Turn, Turn” are taken almost entirely from the Bible. I always find it a little bit delightful to remember that the only lyrics Pete Seeger wrote himself are the title and the final half line of the song. But like any good preacher, Seeger not only reads the scripture, he offers his interpretation. This passage of Ecclesiastes is a reminder that there is a time and place for all things in this world. But Seeger sets the scripture alongside the struggles of his time. The song – his lyrics, the biblical passage, and the music itself – offer a plea for peace in the world: “…A time for peace, I swear it’s not too late.”
Pete Seeger’s song reminds us of the power of turning – turning our hearts, turning our minds, turning our attention and our focus, turning our action and our contributions – in the direction of that which gives Life. It is natural for us to find ourselves pulled in the direction of all that is a mess in our world. But when we pull together and turn ourselves toward that which creates community, that which shares service, that which brings justice, that which lives in covenant – that is where we find hope and goodness and the greatest meaning. That is where we find our purpose. That is where we find God.
When we turn toward giving, sharing our time, talent, and treasure with our congregation, with the world, and with God, then we turn ourselves toward grace. We are thankful to you for sharing your time and talents with our church family. The ongoing missions of caring for our children and youth, migrants and refugees, our facilities, our community, our justice work, our world, and people in need require financial resources as well. We would urge you to prayerfully consider giving financially to support the vital functions of our church. There is so much we can do when we join together in turning toward giving.
In a recent sermon, Michael Ferguson echoed Ecclesiastes and Pete Seeger and gave us a message I still carry in my heart. “…intentionally turning away from cynicism and embracing kindness and love helps reestablish purpose. The faith community of our church is one of the structures that has helped me with embracing love first. Here, I see in each of us examples:…’God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies.’ (I Peter 4:10-11).”
Thank you again, so very much, for your care and support of our church.
Blessings,
Rev. Kirsten Linford
