”ABC” Campaign for Stewardship
John 6 vs 51 Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.”
Growing up, my mom was a great cook and baker. She grew up on a farm in northeastern Pennsylvania and had a whole host of old recipes she would make for the family. I was always partial to her breads, pies, and tasty deserts. One of my favorites was mom’s special occasion ‘cinnamon rolls’. These were absolutely delicious and a “must have” on special days like Christmas, Easter and birthdays. Her homemade bread was a close second and staple at most meals providing valuable daily nutrition.
From God providing manna in the old testament to the “give us this day our daily bread’ in the new testament, bread is one of the common themes through the Bible. The above scripture (John 6 vs 51) describes how Jesus is the “bread of life’.God’s love is so strong that he sent us Jesus to set us free from our sins and for that I am deeply thankful. Each day, we need ask Jesus to be a staple in our life – like mom’s homemade bread but better. Jesus provides nutrition for each of us to tackle the daily grind of the world. He provides love, grace, and mercy.
In addition, God want us to have an abundant life. Jesus states this in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” The issues of today (covid & health concerns, civil unrest, employment issues, financial stability, world strife) may dampen our ability to remember this ‘abundant’ promise of Jesus. Meditating over these verses, I can stop and refuel on the nutrients which God has provided.
The theme of this year’s stewardship campaign is ‘ABC’ which stand for Abundant Blessings Celebration.
Whatever our personal circumstances, God is big enough to handle them and for that we are truly blessed. The stewardship campaign focus areas are prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. By remembering our abundant blessings from God, we can better enable God to use us as a vessel for change in the world. As members of FUMC and the greater body of Christ in the world, I encourage you to use the above scriptures as a calling to ‘celebrate’.
Please pray about this coming year and how you will be called to step-up to God’s challenge. In closing, I want to thank each of you for your support of all we do at Fishersville United Methodist. It is greatly appreciated!
