Stewardship of Gifts Exercise

Christians believe that everything we have is a gift of God. We also believe that God has given all of us innumerable gifts and has asked us to be faithful stewards of those gifts (Please note: We are not only talking here about what are often called “spiritual gifts,” but a much, much broader notion of gifts that God has entrusted to us.) But what does it actually mean to be a faithful steward of these gifts? A faithful steward is one who acts in place of the owner in full keeping with the desires of the owner. As we have talked about in class, Scripture suggests that God’s deepest desire is to mend the universe, to restore wholeness (shalom) to all of creation. Every time some measure of wholeness is restored to God’s creation, God’s will is done and God’s reign or kingdom is extended. (“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”) Yet God hasn’t chosen to mend the universe apart from us. Instead, God has called all of us in Jesus Christ to be part of this amazing and beautiful restoration project. Moreover, God has graciously empowered us to participate in that project by breathing Christ’s Spirit into us. Every good gift that God has given us, therefore, has been given to us not simply so that we can enjoy those gifts, but even more importantly, so that we can experience a deeper joy by using those gifts as partners in God’s work of mending.

As a way of exploring this understanding of stewardship, you are being asked over the course of the next month or so to 1) consider thoughtfully and prayerfully how you might more intentionally use one or more of your gifts to participate in God’s work of mending; and 2) find some small, but concrete way to put that gift (or gifts) to use in service of God’s work of shalom. Ideally, you will seek to do this in a way that brings together your unique combination of gifts, passions, daily opportunities, and your own sense of the world’s brokenness.

Here is one way (but by no means the only way) to approach this exercise:

1) Make a list of the gifts that God has given you. Obviously, you will have to be somewhat selective, but do your best to include a range of things, including such things as your time, health, energies, passions, specific talents and abilities, relationships, resources (financial and otherwise), etc. In each of these areas (and others), work to name the gifts you have been given as specifically as possible.

2) Reflect on the current shape of your daily life. Where are the places in which you sense that God is already using your gifts to bring some greater measure of wholeness to a broken world? These need not (and likely won’t be) big and dramatic things, but it is important to recognize that God is already working in and through your life to extend God’s reign of shalom.

3) Next ask yourself these questions: In my daily life, when and where do I most frequently and concretely experience the world’s brokenness? Where are the broken places where I most long to see God’s reign of wholeness come? Again, work to be as specific as you can.

4) Prayerfully discern how one or more of the gifts you’ve listed in #1 might be used in some small way to address some of the brokenness you’ve noted in #3.

5) Prayerfully (and joyfully!) respond to what you discern in #4 by taking a concrete step of faith. Your response might entail doing something very specific as a one time affair, or doing something several times over the next several weeks. That is for you to determine.

Remember: Never underestimate what God can do through seemingly small and insignificant gifts. Five loaves and two small fish didn’t look like much either!

Instructions for Stewardship of Gifts Essays

On the assigned date in the syllabus, please turn in an essay (1-2 pages, single-spaced) explaining how you carried out this exercise and what you learned as a result. The essay should have four paragraphs, one devoted to each of the following:

1) Begin by giving an account of some of the ways you believe God may already be using your gifts to bring some greater measure of wholeness to a broken world.

2) Explain which gift (or gifts) you chose to focus on for this exercise and how you came to decide to use that gift (or gifts) to be part of God's work of mending in the world.

3) Explain in some detail how you intentionally sought to use this gift (or gifts) during the past several weeks to be part of God's work of mending in the world.

4) Explain what you learned about stewardship through this experience. For example, you might consider what difference it might make in your life if you considered yourself a steward of all that you have been given, including all that you are.