NOTE FROM PASTOR JR FOR SUNDAY, NOVEBMER 5, 2023
Sunday is the 11th Sunday of Kingdomtide and first Sunday of November. We are entering that time of year when we will observe 4 holidays on our calendar within 60 days: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Dr. King’s Birthday. It is known as the season of giving. Thanksgiving is about giving thanks to God for life and the blessing we have received this year; but also giving our presence and being with the ones we love. Christmas is a time of giving gifts to the ones we love; we should also consider giving a gift to Jesus. New Year’s is about giving thanks for the blessing of seeing a new year. Observing Dr. King’s birthday calls us to give our efforts toward making “a just world for all.”
Of course, November is when most churches conduct their Stewardship Campaigns. We think of stewardship as giving money to the church. However, in associating Stewardship with only giving money, we often miss the blessing and hope that comes from giving our time, talents, and money to support the ministry of our church. So, this year, we want to emphasize what our giving to Covenant does. It’s best described this way, “Because of You, Covenant Changes Lives.”
Any giving should be “Rooted in love” for as Psalms 1:3 says, it “…yields its fruit in season.” The best fruit our giving yields is the changed lives because of the ministry of Covenant and its extravagant welcome offering “the unconditional love of God without the guilt of religion.” In joyfully giving our stewardship of time, talent, and treasure to Covenant, God is pleased, and we know “God loves a cheerful giver.” (II Cor. 9:7b)
Join us this Sunday, in person or by Zoom, Facebook Livestream or YouTube as some folks will join me in the sermon, sharing how Covenant changed their lives. The sermon title is “Because of You, Covenant Changes Lives,” based on an excerpt from “Psalms 1” and “II Corinthians 9:5b-12.”
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