Pets, Vehicles, Power-Tools, and Children

Scriptures:

Genesis 1:1-31 – creation.

Psalm 24

Today I want to start with a question.

1. Anyone here have a pet? (hands up)
2. Have you ever left your pet with someone else to care for it?
3. What were your expectations of that person? (get answers)

Is this resonating with anyone else?

Maybe it wasn’t a pet. Maybe it was a vehicle. Maybe a power-tool. Maybe a child.

Now who’s been on the receiving end? Anyone ever been asked to look after a pet, or a vehicle, or a power-tool, or a child?

How did that feel?

Now if you’re anything like me, if I leave something with you to take care of, I expect you to take good care of it. Likewise, if I am given something to look after, I want to do a good job of it. I’m not going to drive your car at 200 km/hr along the 401. I’m not going to turn your pet “free-range”. I won’t encourage your child to climb the bookcase, or stuff them full of junk food, or pee on the electric fence.

I hope we agree on that.

I think that when it comes down to it, when someone gives us something to look after for them, or when we give something to someone else to care for on our behalf, it is really a sign of trust and says something about the significance of our relationship.

If I ask you to watch my dog while I’m away, it’s because I trust you to take care of my dog. I trust that if something happens, you will do your best to care for the dog. If decisions have to be made, you will make the best decision you can, in order to care for the dog.

Agreed? Good.

Now at this point, you may be wondering what any of this has to do with church-stuff. And you would be within your rights to do so.  So let me help join the dots.

What we have been talking about so far is an important idea within our faith called, STEWARDSHIP. Quite simply, stewardship is how we care for and use that which is not ours, on behalf of its owner. Like that pet, or vehicle, or power-tool, or child, or whatever.

When you look after the pet and their owner comes back and the pet is still alive and healthy and has been well taken care of, then you have been a good steward of the pet. Similarly, for the child (alive, healthy, happy, well taken care of). Or for the power-tool or vehicle (full tank of gas, not broken, good working order).

I think it’s safe to say that we all know how to do this! We know how this works. We’ve been on both ends of it. We GET stewardship. Right?

Now, let’s bring it into the church stuff.

As people of the Christian faith, there are certain core beliefs and understandings which we hold. One of those, which is critical to stewardship, we heard in among the words from Genesis which were read this morning. You’ll also find it at the beginning of Psalm 24.

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for God has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
(Psalm 24:1-2 – NRSV)

“Since God created it all, everything belongs to God.” EVERYTHING.
[pause]

Let me tell you a story that is supposed to be funny.

God was once approached by a group of people who said, “Listen God, we’ve decided we don’t need you anymore. These days we can clone people, transplant organs and do all sorts of things that used to be considered miraculous.”
God replied, “Don’t need me huh? How about we put your theory to the test. Why don’t we have a competition to see who can make a human being, say, a male human being.”
The people agree, so God declares they should do it like God did in the good old days when God created Adam.
“Fine” say the people as they bend down to scoop up a handful of dirt.”
“Whoa!” says God, shaking God's head in disapproval. “Not so fast. You get your own dirt.”

Everything belongs to God.

Which means that everything you like to think of as “yours” and I like to think of as “mine” actually is God’s. Whoa.

Let me remind you, guest speakers can get away with anything.

Like suggesting that none of us actually owns anything we have. God owns it all.

Like going further to suggest therefore that the stewardship thing applies to everything we have. That it’s our job, as people of faith, to take care of everything, to use everything we have, on God’s behalf, for God’s good, the way God would; just like you would with the neighbour’s cat, or your grandchildren.

And yes, when you take this stewardship thing seriously, it changes everything.

I mean, think about it. Isn’t it amazing all that God has given you? How much God must love and trust you? Incredible! That’s grace!! The Creator of the universe trusts us with the creation. Hands it over to us and tells us to use it as if we were God. Which, by the way, should not just produce huge gratitude, but a fair degree of terror. What a responsibility?!! It’s crazy, right?

But, that’s our God. Gracious. Loving. Generous to a fault.

And that’s what God wants us to be, as well. Gracious. Loving. Generous to a fault. With all we have been given. (everything)

Which, when you say it that way, maybe isn’t so crazy after all.


So here’s what I want you to do this week to help this message take root in your life.

1. Think about what it means if everything you have really belongs to God and your job is to use it to be gracious, loving and generous to a fault.

2. What is one thing you can do this week with the stuff God has entrusted you with that would please God? Do it.

3. In your praying and quiet time this week, thank God for all you have been given.

AMEN.