9-21-25 “Stewardship as a Spiritual Practice”
“Stewardship as a Spiritual Practice”
I want to start with something funny I found on an internet site: A family brought a homemade pizza to the church potluck. The youngest child whispered, “Can we give part of the pizza to the offering plate?” The parents laughed, but the child insisted and carefully placed a single slice in the basket. The pastor looked at it and chuckled, “Well, it’s the first time I’ve seen a ‘cheesy’ offering—but God loves it!”
When I served at a rural church in Korea, I often gave rides to church members in need. Most of them were elderly citizens who could no longer drive themselves. I noticed they would bring bags of rice, corn, beans, potatoes, and even tomatoes to the church. At first, I thought they wanted to share their produce with the pastor or other members. Later, I learned that these gifts were actually their tithe from the harvest.
I shared this with my mother, and she said, “I do the same. I don’t always have enough money to give to God, but I still want to offer what I have. God entrusted us not only with money but with everything we possess.”
Have you ever given to the church from the produce of your own harvest? In other words, have you ever shared your produce with church members or neighbors? It could be zucchinis, tomatoes, apples, pears—whatever you’ve grown. Yes, it may also include the produce from your fishing and hunting. If you have been doing this, you’ve already been giving your tithe of the harvest. How wonderful that is!
Well, someone might say, ‘I don’t have anything to give to God or share with others.’ But I once heard it said, ‘We don’t really own anything in this world—we’re just managers. Even the breath in our lungs is on loan from God.’ You see, no one is without breath or a body. We can all give from what we do have.
That reminds me of Jesus’ parable in Luke 16. The manager didn’t own the wealth he handled—he was entrusted with it. Jesus teaches us that we are all managers, or stewards, of what truly belongs to God.
John Wesley, our Methodist founder, said the same in his sermon “The Good Steward.” He wrote: “We are not owners of any of these things, but merely entrusted with them by another … God has entrusted us with our souls, our bodies, our goods, and whatever other talents we have received.”
So, stewardship is not just about money—it is about our whole life. It is a spiritual practice of offering back to God everything He has entrusted to us.
In today’s scripture, Jesus says the dishonest manager was called to “give an account of your management” (v. 2). Wesley echoes this: one day, each of us will give an account for how we used what God gave us—our time, energy, possessions, even our thoughts. We don’t really own our bodies, our talents, our goods, or our time. They are entrusted to us until the day God calls them back. Even our very breath is God’s gift. When we remember this, it changes how we live. Life itself becomes an offering.
Too often, we think “tithe” means only money. But Wesley reminds us: “Even our thoughts are not our own … we are accountable to our great Master.” Yes, stewardship is more than money; it is a daily tithe.
Our Ministry Task Force Team discussed the question, “What would it look like to tithe in daily life?” We realized that tithing is about more than giving 10% of our income—it’s about offering the first fruits of all of life.
Some of you may remember that St. Croix Falls conducted a survey on how we practice tithing in daily life. Karen Sciacca presented “The Challenge of Tithe in Everyday Life” at a joint service in June, and she also created a chart to illustrate it. The Grantsburg Task Force Team also prepared a chart, “A Tithing Challenge: More than Just Money,” designed by Deb Hammer.
Here’s what St. Croix Falls and Grantsburg-Central’s Task Force Teams discovered:
- Loving God: Attending worship and Bible study, daily devotion, listening to the Gospel, offering new ministry ideas.
- Loving Neighbors: Volunteering, sharing food or clothing, inviting someone to church, praying for others, sharing food with neighbors, helping neighbors, participating in mission projects.
- Loving God’s Creation: Recycling, planting, picking up trash, walking in nature, walking with pets, feeding birds or other wildlife, planting native flowers, driving less and walking more.
- Loving Family and Self: Cooking, listening, resting, caring for family, healthy eating, hobbies, spending time with family and friends.
- Loving the Church: Volunteering as greeters, candle lighters, liturgists, ushers, Sunday school and youth leaders, music and fellowship ministry, committee service, donating supplies, hosting fellowship, giving regular offerings, sharing talents and gifts.
All of these are forms of daily tithing. I know many of you are already doing these things without even realizing it. But when we take them seriously—as offerings of our time, energy, creativity, compassion, and presence—we discover that these are ways of tithing in our daily lives.
Jesus says, “Whoever is faithful in very little is faithful also in much” (v. 10). Wesley said the same: God entrusts us with “small talents” to see if we are ready for greater responsibility in His kingdom. A simple prayer for a neighbor, a smile at the grocery store, picking up trash on the street, cooking for a loved one, or feeding deer and birds—these may seem small. But they are stewardship. They are tithes. They are eternal investments. If you are living this way, you are already good stewards of God.
Jesus ends with: “You cannot serve God and wealth” (v. 13). We must decide who directs our lives. Do money, comfort, and self-interest rule us? Or do we live under the loving authority of God?
For Wesley, this was clear: “As you yourself are not your own, but His, such is likewise all that you enjoy. Such is your soul, and your body—not your own, but God’s.” When we tithe our whole lives—time, energy, creativity, and care—we declare with our actions that God is our Master.
So, what is stewardship? It’s not a church budget campaign. It’s a spiritual practice. It’s faithfulness in the small things. It’s giving back what already belongs to God.
When we offer not only our money, but our calendars, our strength, our creativity, and our love, we discover that we are not losing anything—we are joining God’s kingdom work.
Imagine our whole congregation practicing this daily tithe—loving God, neighbors, creation, family, and church. Our very lives would become a sermon of generosity and grace.
May we be found faithful stewards, until the day we give our final account to God. Thanks be to God! Amen.