Stewardship Ministry News

A friend recently with me this thought about hope, “Biblical Hope is not optimism or wishful thinking. Biblical hope is hope in the midst of darkness.” One of my favorite texts to illustrate “hope in the midst of darkness is...

Having just celebrated Pentecost, one of my favorite Sundays of the year, we return to what we often refer to as “ordinary time” or, in slightly more interesting language, the “season after Pentecost.” I prefer to think of this season,...

Every major holiday, I bake a sweet potato casserole. This past Easter was no different. It has become a family tradition, as my casserole follows a recipe I inherited from my mother. I feel my version has been validated, as...

There is a lot to celebrate and remember in the month of May. We continue with the Great Fifty Days of Easter for most of the month, mark the Ascension on Thursday, May 18, and finish off the month with...

Holy Week and Eastertide are not typically associated with stewardship. It is unlikely that Palm Sunday or Easter would be primetime for a sermon on stewardship. But in its larger sense, stewardship is everywhere in this sacred season: in our...

“Oh, how foolish you are, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Luke 24:25-26 I am a gardener,...

I have lived in West Michigan my entire life. I love living in Michigan. One of the things I love the most is the change in seasons. Winter, spring, summer, and fall are all unique in their own way. Each...

Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. Psalm 121:1 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- from where will...

Revised Common Lectionary Year A, Transfiguration Sunday: February 19, 2023 Matthew 17:1-9 In the 2018 Super Bowl, Tide laundry detergent had what was arguably the most brilliant advertising campaign of any company that year. Actor David Harbour shows up in...

As Lent swiftly approaches, what practices might you encourage folks to consider over the 40-day journey? When serving in congregational ministry, I encouraged folks to adopt a practice for nurturing their relationship with God rather than giving something up. For...