A Stewardship Message from the Pastor

This year the theme for the Stewardship Season is Dreaming God’s Dream. Many of us wonder how we can do this. I think one of the most amazing dream stories in scripture is found in Acts 10. Cornelius was a centurion and a devout believer in God. He gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God. One day Cornelius had a dream, and an angel of God told him to send his men to Joppa to bring Simon Peter to him.

The next day, a hungry Peter went up on the roof to pray, and he had a dream, too. Peter dreamed about all of the foods that by Jewish Law, he could not eat. At first, he refused the food, but a voice from heaven said, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” Although Peter was puzzled, the Spirit had sent the men from Cornelius to his door. Peter invited them in and gave them lodging, and the next day he travelled with them to meet Cornelius.

This story is about more than food. Peter saw many people as profane, and God was expanding Peter’s boundaries. Scarcity narrowed his vision; fear and suspicion limited his sense of who could belong. God gave Peter a vision of abundance, as if saying “All these are good, too.” And Peter was given the courage talk with Cornelius.

Generosity is more than the opposite of selfishness; generosity can also be the opposite of enmity. Peter’s openness to Cornelius speaks to an openness of his heart, a commitment to building an expansive, inclusive community that offers a place for all people to belong. Being a place for all people is what the church can offer to a world that focuses on exclusivity rather than generous inclusion and belonging. It is certainly something to pray about as we seek to envision God’s dream for the future of First Prez.