Dear Friends,
I am grateful to you and to all the members of our congregation. I am very thankful for everyone’s generosity in contributing ideas, funds, and time to Good Shepherd.
Our pledge campaign this year focuses on the miracle of sharing. Sharing through Good Shepherd is one way we can carry out God’s work in the world. Our theology of giving this year focuses on the three-legged stool of Wealth, Works, and Wisdom. These are some of the ways in which we make our gifts to God’s work in the world through Good Shepherd.
In today’s letter, I will focus on Wisdom. The Bible speaks of Wisdom in a personified manner as one facet of God. Wisdom is a source of inspiration, creativity, and guidance that has been a part of the world since it was chaos. Wisdom smooths out the edges of Creation and gives us ways to make order, plan for change, prepare for renewal, and appreciate what we have. She (the pronoun often ascribed to Wisdom) is in all of us, resonant, reactive, reaching forward to make connections with our traditions, culture, and experience.
More Than Enough is the theme of our stewardship campaign. We are brought to the moment of the miracle described in Luke of Jesus feeding thousands with just a few loaves and fishes. The people in this story heard Jesus’ call to share what they had in order that all might benefit. This is the nature of Wisdom when we share what we possess. When we have strategies that need to be developed, or committees that need to be staffed, or problems that need to be solved, you answer the call of your church and share your wisdom and experience.
Wisdom adds to wisdom and our whole community is filled with inspiration and action. You are that inspiration and action without whom our church and our ministry would be diminished. In a few weeks, you will receive an invitation to name and pledge the gifts you will make in the coming year to help our church carry out God’s work in the world. Please pray with us as we launch our annual gathering of gifts and gratitude and please consider how you will contribute your gift of wisdom.
Yours in Christ,
The Reverend Brent Owens
