On Christian Stewardship IV

Dear Parish Faithful,

This is the fourth of Fr. Stanley Harakas' meditations on Christian stewardship. I found this one particularly effective as he speaks eloquently about "cheerful giving." Of note is how Fr. Harakas equates giving in return to God as a way of discovering our humanity.

Give from joy (II COR. 9:7), or "Give merrily." The key word is "merry" or "joyous," in the original "hilarion." One invariably gives happily from a consciousness awash in the glad tidings that "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself" (II COR. 5:19). To know the Lord removes all reluctance and constraint for he is the great treasure and ample food. Note how St. Paul changed Proverbs 22:9, from "God 'blesses' ... to "God" 'loves' a cheerful giver."

"Note, also, the imperative, or normative "ought" language. What is normally not thought of as something that can be willed and made to occur - joy - is nevertheless commanded. How can this be? Ethically, the opposite of giving joyfully is to give with reluctant sadness. Giving becomes an unpleasant duty, fulfilled because somehow the stewardship giver is psychologically, morally, or spiritually coerced into giving. Clearly for the Christian such giving "ought not" to be associated with stewardship. Giving to the church "ought" rather to be perceived as a privilege and an opportunity to express one's faith in the loving and blessing God, and therefore an ethical act. Cheerful giving implies that the giver is happy and eager and fully willing to be a part of the effort to do the work of the Lord in the church. Genuine stewardship giving is fulfilling and satisfying and so produces a sense of well-being and emotional and spiritual fitness. Authentic stewardship giving is rewarding in its wholesomeness. To give as God gives is to become more human, more of what God has created human beings to be. To be an unconstrained and authentic steward is to incorporate giving into wholeness of the Christian life growing toward God-likeness."

Fr. Steven

On Christian Stewardship III

Dear Parish Faithful,

Here is the third of seven meditations on Christian stewardship - the sharing of time, talent and treasure - from Fr. Stanley Harakas (based on II COR. 9:6-11):

Give from the heart. Of course the Apostle is speaking of the heart that is submitted to the Lord. A heart which belongs to the Lord neither grudges nor feels compulsion to give, but shares in the manner in which the Lord gives, "pressed down ... and running over." (Lk. 6:38)

"The ethical dimension is also evident in this passage that expands and gives content to the affirmation that inner dispositions form the important ethical aspect of stewardship. In Orthodox spiritual thought, the heart is central to the Christian life.* The heart that is in union with God "neither grudges nor feels compulsion to give," precisely because it has reached the level of true freedom to be itself. Orthodox ethics distinguishes between "free choice" or "self-determination (Gk. autoexousion) on the one hand and the condition of eleutheria, or true freedom, which is when there are no conflicting inner impulses toward action. The goal is for Christians to act in God-like ways, not conflicted by temptations, insecurities, and mental reservations. Such stewardship behavior is free and outpouring and "shares in the manner in which the Lord gives." In all likelihood, such a high standard in the practice of stewardship is rarely achieved, but the ethical "ought" pointing to such unconstrained and unreserved motives remains valid and a sought after goal."

* Kallistos Ware defines the heart, in part, as follows: "HEART (kardia): not simply the physical organ but the spiritual centre of man's being, man as made in the image of God, his deepest and truest self, or the inner shrine, to be entered only through sacrifice and death, in which the mystery of the union between the divine and the human is consummated."

Fr. Steven

On Christian Stewardship II

Dear Parish Faithful,

Here is the second of Fr. Stanley Harakas' seven meditations on the stewardship of our time, talent and treasure:

Give with blessings (vs. 6). Most English translations contrast "sparingly" with "bountifully" or "generously" in the opening verse. In the original St. Paul used the plural of the word "blessing" in contrast to "stingy." Hence, "one who sows stingily" differs utterly from "one who sows with blessings." For one like the Apostle, formed in the Hebraic mind, to speak of blessings always implies God, for, as the Psalmist says, "Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, Who alone doeth wonders" (Ps. 71:19). Only God is blessed, and all "blessings" flow from Him. The Apostle's point is that our giving always is in the context of the giving of the Giver of life.

"This dimension is made particular and more specific with the discussion about giving with blessings. In the first instance, the very form of the passage is ethical, in the sense that it is normative. It instructs how the Christian ought to give: "Give with blessings." The author, on the basis of the Hebraic understanding of things, accents what was affirmed several times earlier in this chapter, that the goods we enjoy - and from which we give - are ours only be derivation: "Only God is blessed, and all 'blessings' flow from Him." It is an affirmation of the fundamental Orthodox Christian ethical insight, that the source of all good is God. Since God is the "giver of Life," all other values and goods that are in the sphere of human choice and decision making arre derivative."

Fr. Steven

A Royal Dignity

Dear Parish Faithful,

In ch. 5 of her remarkable book, God's Many-Splendored Image, Sister Nonna examines the "royal dignity" of being created as a human being "in the image and likeness of God." She begins by asking some direct questions, the answers to which have enormous consequences as to how we view ourselves and our neighbors: "Do I have real dignity as a human person?" And "Does my neighbor have real dignity as a human person?"

Basing herself on the Scriptures and the Church Fathers, Sister Nonna of course answers those questions in the affirmative. In fact, she writes the following:

Because everyone is made in the image of God, and because this image defines what it means to be human, people are fundamentally equal, regardless of the differences in wealth, education, and social status. The Church preached this countercultural message in the ancient world and still preaches it now. For example, here is what Martin Luther King Jr. said in a sermon on July 4, 1965:

The whole concept of the imago Dei , as it is expressed as it is expressed in Latin, the "image of God," is the idea that all men have something within them that God injected. Not that they have substantial unity with God, but that every man has a capacity to have fellowship with God. And this gives him uniqueness, it gives him worth, it gives him dignity. And we must never forget this is a nation; there are no gradations in the image of God ... We will know one day that God made us to live together as brothers and to respect the dignity and worth of every man.

Sister Nonna offers this commentary on this fine passage from Dr. King's speech:

In 1965 when King preached this sermon, people in our culture were not yet attentive to the problem of sexist language. If he were speaking today, surely he would say, "God made us to live together as brothers and sisters and to respect the dignity and worth of every human being. And yet today, although our culture speaks loudly about the equality of all people, in many places the message that all people are made in God's image and should be treated accordingly is still countercultural.

In this chapter, we will discuss how early Christians affirmed that women, slaves and lepers (read "social outcasts") are made in God's image.

Christian societies have not honored the image of God in those three "categories" of life nearly as well as the vision given to us in the scriptural revelation expects of us. Though at times a dreary topic, it can be inspiring when you read the Scriptures carefully and the commentary of the great Church Fathers on these themes.

It is certainly a group of topics more than worthy of our time and attention on Monday evening, December 6.

Vespers at 7:00 p.m.
Session V - "Royal Dignity" - at 7:45 p.m.

Click this link for notes and questions for our next session on Monday evening. Please scroll down to p. 9.
For more on our Fall Adult Education Class, visit our website.


Fr. Steven

On Christian Stewardship I

Dear Parish Faithful,

Recently, I have been reading some excellent articles about the meaning, purpose and practice of Christian stewardship. This is about the offering of our "time, talent and treasure," ultimately to God, within the context of our life in the Church. One such article was written by Fr. Stanley Harakas, a noted Greek Orthodox theologian who writes prolifically about the ethical content of our Orthodox Christian Faith; what we "ought" and "ought not" to do as Christians. The article is entitled "Ethics and Stewardship." Toward the end of the article, Fr. Harakas offers a series of seven short meditations, based on a passage from St. Paul: II COR. 9:16. In doing so, Fr. Harakas is further expanding on an internet presentation from October, 2000, called Dynamis for Orthodox Christians. The author of that internet biblical meditation is David Patton. I would like to share these seven meditations - hopefully on a daily basis - with all of you as you consider your role as Christian stewards, and as you prayerfully make decisions on your own sharing of "time, talent and treasure" within the context of parish membership. The italicized portion comes from the original meditation and Fr. Harakas' expanded commentary follows:

Godly Giving: II Corinthians 9:6-11, especially vs. 10, "Now may he who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness." Today's passage from the Apostle Paul encourages us to look deeply into our motives for giving. His words are greatly illuminated when read in terms of seven prescriptions for godly giving, each of them derived directly from the Apostle's words and intent.

"As seen from the title, the theme of this meditation is "Godly Giving," placing it in the framework of the stewardship practices of individual persons or family units in regard to their financial contributions to the church and to charities and to those in need. The meditation is on a classic passage for church stewardship and reflection, II Corinthians 9:6-11. The focus is on motives and intents, essential dimensions of Orthodox Christian ethics. Critical aspects of ethical evaluation of behaviors are the nature and quality of the inner dispositions that guide actions. For Christianity, especially, according to the ethics of the Sermon on the Mount, inner dispositions are paramount. The author rightfully emphasizes this ethical dimension as the starting point for discussing how the Orthodox Christian "ought" to give in the practice of stewardship. Precisely because the meditation is about "godly giving," the discussion is placed within the framework of the Orthodox Christian understanding of growing in the image and likeness of God. Giving by Orthodox Christians ought to be reflective of the way God gives to us. Stewardship is an aspect of our growth toward God-likeness, or theosis."

Fr. Steven

Read the entire series: Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI