Passionate Steward - 10th Anniversary Edition

Recovering Christian Stewardship from Secular Fundraising 41
response to the corruption of the Temple cult, and the sin which
surrounded him on every side.
Jesus is the embodiment of the Passionate Steward. Through
the sacrificial gift of his life, Jesus underscored the unconditional
nature of stewardship and sacrifice, and in this sense, his selfoffering
is exemplary. It was first of all a choice, freely given, made
in faith, hope, and trust—and in full and explicit awareness of the
failings of the People of God. The first disciples took courage from
Jesus’ example, and each in turn engaged in a ministry of risk and
sacrifice, which in many cases meant choosing to make their own
self-sacrifice in martyrdom for the sake of the Word.
The Church is called to be the image of Christ to the world.
We do this in part through sacrificial offerings of self-giving love.
If we, as members of the Body of Christ, choose to withhold our
involvement or offerings until such time as the Church is perfect
and sinless, we effectively ensure that the Church is ill-equipped to
live up to its high calling. The net effect of our protest is that we add
to the brokenness of the Church.
In the context of the Christian tradition, continuing to be a
good steward in the midst of conflicts of conscience is not just a
matter of striving through our seemingly small sacrifices to make
the Church better; it is a matter of fidelity to our baptismal
promises. As individuals, we must remember how valuable the
generous devotion of our time, talent and treasure is to the world
around us. As the old proverb has it, it is better to light one candle
than to curse the darkness. To give up our Christian vocation as
stewards, or withhold our gifts until we get our way (no matter how
righteous our cause), means depriving not only the Church, but
humanity, of our gifts of time, talent and treasure. We need to
remember that we take our place amidst a company of millions,
who together promote everything from outreach to the poor to care
of the elderly, education of the young to advocacy for the oppressed,
companionship for the lonely to solitude for the overwhelmed.