Stewardship 2023 – Rooted in Abundance – Holy Family Episcopal Church

Rooted in Abundance

It says in Jeremiah 17,

“They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

Roots are interesting things. They come in various forms, some are deep tap roots, others are more spread out, such as a heart root or flat root systems of trees, and yet others are specialized, like the sucker roots that send those pesky shoots of grass into our tidy flowerbeds. But with all the variations, the purpose of roots is the same, to anchor the plant, and provide sustenance to the plant. Some direct these ingredients for life directly to the plant, others store it for use at a later time, such as during a drought. We, as God’s people, also have roots; they anchor us to our Lord, our lives and our communities, and provide us sustenance in times of plenty, and if well tended and established, in times of drought. We believe that we have been abundantly blessed, and that we are called upon to share those blessings, whatever they may be. We approach our journey of stewardship from this same place, from a place of abundance, some latent and some manifest. Please join us in this journey of discovering the source of this abundance, discerning how we are called to cooperate with the Spirit to spread the grace and gifts given so freely to each to us.