A few short days after Christmas, I wandered through several big box stores and was struck by how quickly the seasons had shifted. The red, green and gold of Christmas had already disappeared, replaced by the familiar red and white of Valentine’s Day.

It reminded me how easily we move from one celebration to the next without pausing to reflect. Valentine’s Day with its long and varied history – from Ancient Rome to the early church to today’s culture – is now synonymous with romance, cards, roses, and chocolate. Yet it has never fully resonated with me. Not because I doubt the value of love or devotion, but because I’ve never been convinced that such expressions should be limited to a single, designated day.

I sometimes feel the same way about stewardship. While I appreciate the focus and efficiency of a seasonal stewardship campaign, something always feels unfinished once its over. We move so quickly to the next item on the calendar. Yet stewardship seems far too important to be confined to a particular season. It should be woven into who we are every day – a way of life rather than a once-a-year event. After all, stewardship reflects the ongoing gratitude and responsibility we hold for all the gifts God entrusts to us. God’s blessings don’t arrive on a schedule, and our response shouldn’t either. Scripture reminds us that our time, talent, and treasure all belong to God, and stewardship is the daily practice of managing those gifts faithfully.

As participants in the PC(USA), our understanding of stewardship is grounded in Reformed theology. It calls disciples to respond to God’s abundant grace with their whole lives. At its core, stewardship flows from gratitude, not obligation. Psalm 24:1 says, “the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” Everything we have is God’s and we are stewards of those gifts. Embracing stewardship year-round helps congregations move from transactional giving to transformational giving.

A year-round approach also weaves stewardship naturally into worship and Christian education. Prayers of thanksgiving, sermons, liturgy, and personal testimonies can regularly highlight God’s generosity and our response. Rather than concentrating stewardship language into a single season, congregations can lift up stories of mission, service, and generosity throughout the year. Bible studies, intergenerational conversations, and small groups can help people explore what faithful stewardship looks like in practical, everyday terms.

Practicing stewardship year-round also strengthens a congregation’s financial health. Ongoing, transparent communication about ministries, finances, and impact helps build trust and clarity. Instead of focusing solely on meeting the budget, consistent storytelling shows how gifts make ministry possible. Annual pledges still matter, but within a year-round framework they become part of a larger narrative of gratitude, discipleship, and spiritual growth. Inviting individuals to prayerfully discern their giving helps them understand it as part of their lifelong faith journey.

Before Valentine’s Day arrives, we ring in the New Year – a moment often marked by resolutions and the hope of a fresh start. For many of us, the turning of the calendar feels like a clean slate, an invitation to reset habits and intentions. By February, many of us have already moved on from our best intentions.

One of my own resolutions for 2026 was to be more intentional about telling the people around me how much I love them. And while I haven’t had the strongest start, I’m reminded that the real key to any meaningful change is persistence. Love after all is not meant to be expressed only on Valentine’s Day. It is a daily practice and a way of life.

So is stewardship. Just as love shouldn’t wait for a single calendar date, stewardship shouldn’t be limited to a campaign season. Both call us into rhythms of gratitude, generosity, and faithfulness that grow through steady, everyday choices. As we step into a new year – resolutions kept or not – we’re invited to embrace stewardship as a continual practice, a way of living that shapes how we follow Christ throughout the year.