Pew bulletin
Fr Vijay’s sermon
Grace, Gift and Our Response: A Theology of Stewardship
“Every Generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the father of lights.” (James 1:17)
Dear Church in Christ,
When we hear the word “stewardship,” many of us instinctively think about money, budgets, or church programs. But today, I invite you to step back and see stewardship in its deeper, richer, and more beautiful meaning. Stewardship is not about what we give; it is about how we respond to what God has already given. Stewardship is our response to what God has blessed us.
At the heart of the Christian life is grace. Before we act, before we give, before we serve, God has already acted. God has already given. Creation itself is a gift. Life is a gift. Salvation in Jesus Christ is the greatest gift of all. As Paul reminds us, “What do you have that you did not receive? (1 Corinthians 4:7). St Paul is Correcting pride in the Corinthian Church. The verse reminds believers that every, gift, ability, and blessing comes from God, so there is no place for boasting as if we earned it ourselves.
1. Stewardship begins with this recognition: everything we are and everything we have is received.
In the opening chapters of Genesis, we see that humanity is created in God’s image and placed within creation with a purpose. Adam is placed in the garden “to till it and keep” (Genesis 2:15). This is the first picture of stewardship, not ownership, but care; not control, but responsibility. The world is God’s, yet we are entrusted with it.
This truth runs throughout scripture. The psalmist declares, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it” (Ps. 24:1). We are not owners; we are caretakers. Our lives, our time, our abilities, our relationships, and yes, even our material resources, these are entrusted to us by God.
When my casket is being carried to the grave. Leave my hands hanging outside. For empty handed, I came into this world and empty handed, I shall go! My whole life has been a hallow waste, a futile exercise, for no one at Death can take anything with them.
2. Stewardship is not meant to be a burden. It is a response to grace.
Think of generosity of God. God gives freely, abundantly, and joyfully. Creation overflows with beauty and provision. In Christ, God gives not just something, but God’s very self. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son” (John 3:16). This is grace beyond measure.
In Romans 12:1, Paul writes, “I appeal to you... by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Notice the order; first, the mercies of God; then, our response. Stewardship flows from gratitude.
We do not give in order to earn God’s favor. We give, because we have already received it. This transforms how we see everything.
Our time becomes not something to spend only on ourselves, but something to offer for God’s purposes.
Our gifts and talents are not accidents but calling to be used for the building up of others.
Our relationships become opportunities for love, forgiveness, and service.
Even our possessions are no longer just “ours,” but tools through which God’s generosity can be reflected into the world.
Jesus speaks often about this in his parables. In the parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14-30), the servants are entrusted with resources. The question is not whether they own them, but how they use them. Faithfulness is measured by trust and response, not by comparison or status.
Likewise, in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), stewardship is seen in compassion. The Samaritan uses his time, his resources, and his care for the sake of another. He becomes a steward of mercy.
3. Stewardship is not confined to finances; it is a way of life shaped by grace.
It asks us: How are we responding to what God has entrusted to us?
Are we living with open hearts or closed fists?
Are we attentive to the needs around us?
Are we using our lives in ways that reflect God’s generosity?
This is especially important in a world that often teaches us the opposite. We are told to accumulate, to secure, to hold tightly. But the gospel invites us into a different posture, a posture of trust. Because we know the Giver, we are free to give. Because God is faithful, we do not need to live in fear.
4. Stewardship is deeply spiritual.
It is about trust in God’s provision. It is about aligning our lives with God’s purposes. It is about becoming people whose lives reflect the grace we have received.
And this is not something we do alone. We are part of the Body of Christ. Together, as a community, we steward God’s gifts, supporting one another, serving the world, and bearing witness to God’s love.
In the end, stewardship is not about what we lose, but about what we become.
We become more like Christ, who gave himself fully. We become more attentive to God’s presence. We become more open, more generous, more active.
So today, let us not think of stewardship as a duty imposed from outside, but as a calling that arises from within, a response to grace, a participation in God’s generosity, a way of living that says, with our whole lives: “all that I am, and all that I have, come from you, O Lord.”
And to God, the giver of every good gift, be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.