This Sunday we'll conclude our two week series on stewardship. While this theme isn't prescribed in the lectionary, autumn is in fact a traditional time for churches to consider stewardship.

Before they became halloween-alternatives, "harvest celebrations" marked a time in which Christians gave thanks to the Creator for the incoming gifts of creation--vegetables, grain, etc. In his beautiful book on agrarianism, How the Soil Might Save us, Ragan Sutterfield says it well:

"There is a dance of effort and grace to the work of farming. We must be prepared to receive the grace of growth and flourishing when it comes, but that grace cannot be made. It is a gift that we must receive."

The dawn of fall each year invites the church to respond to God's generosity. This Sunday we talk about money, to be sure, but money is only a part of stewardship. Living as faithful stewards begins with understanding that all that we have--from our food, our families, and our money--are gifts.

As you may know, the word "eucharist" literally means "thanksgiving." To be a good steward of the harvest God has given us is to live a eucharistic life. Recognizing all of life as gift invites us to be gift-givers.

Having experienced generosity, we are to let that generously flow through us in our stewardship of God's good creation. I pray you are well, and I look forward to worshiping with you Sunday!