“Tell them to do good, to be rich in the good things they do, to be generous, and to share with others. …That way they can take hold of the life that truly is life” (1 Timothy 6:18-19, CEB)
In the game of football, the ultimate goal is to
get the ball into the end zone. No team
ever wins a game without moving the ball forward, and -- likewise -- no quarterback
can advance the cause of the team without distributing the ball to others.
So it is with the Christian faith: growing and maturing as disciples of Jesus Christ requires us to share the “ball” that God has given to us. In the scripture above from 1 Timothy 6, the apostle Paul advises his young apprentice Timothy that sharing is necessary not only for ourselves, but also in order for God’s “team” (the church), to move forward on the “playing field” of life.
From October 15-29, through a spiritual journey called Football Faith, we as a church will be exploring the value of being part of God’s “team” through the practice of generosity: the sharing of our resources and lives for the work of God’s kingdom. We’ll learn the difference between ownership and stewardship, the importance of being a “team player,” the great benefits of at least one God-given tool for sharing, and the joy that results from generosity itself.
And
by the time we celebrate “Touchdown
Sunday” in our one combined worship service on October 29, our hope is that
we will have been challenged to understand and claim how true life – true
“victory” -- is not found in what we have
(i.e., in “keeping the ball”) but in what we give away (i.e., in “passing the ball to others”). You won’t want to miss a single Sunday in
this unique and special spiritual journey!
In
the meantime, however, I ask you to join me and your church leadership in
praying that God will prepare our hearts to hear His message of transforming
generosity, and to commit to being present in worship each week as we do so!
Remember
that God loves you and I do, too!
Pastor
Brian
