|
|
I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD."
Psalm 122:1
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
Genesis 1:1
"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalms 118:24
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And he shall direct your paths."
Proverbs 3:5
|
|
|
|
Rector's Study
WAIT FOR THE LORD;
BE STRONG AND
TAKE HEART AND
WAIT FOR THE LORD.
Psalm 27:14
Time and again, or from time to time, or once upon a time, I admitted to all or at least some of you that I have a good bit of difficulty with time. I mean by this admission that I am not sensitive to the passage of time or the amount of time it takes to complete specific tasks. Often, it is only when my stomach growls in the early afternoon that I realize that it is past lunch time, or it is when I can no longer read words on the page of the book in my hand that I know I should turn a light on because evening has come. Almost every year, at the beginning of a new year, I try to think of ways that I would like to manage my time better. But there's a problem. I can't manage time if I am unaware of it, and I'm not very aware of the passage of time!
Lately, I have been praying and thinking about stewardship. The budget at the church for 2004 is really tight; and since I work for the church, my personal budget will be affected. Also, the pledges to our first capital campaign for the construction of a new building did not come in as anticipated. A mark of my tenure at St. Mark's parish has been stewardship development that led to financial stability. Yet, in the middle of my ninth year as rector, we are financially challenged.
I've found myself wondering how many parishioners actually observe the principle of the tithe, the giving of the first tenth to the Lord. I've wondered why it is that, though members of this parish have sufficient money to accomplish the the goals we've set as a parish family, not enough of that God-given bounty is in the treasury of the church. Then I've wondered if it simply is not time. Have I mentioned that I'm not always very sensitive about time?
How will we know when it is time to commit ourselves to giving as generously as we are able? How will we discern that it is time to move ahead with our goals, trusting that God will provide? I'd love to be able to turn to a passage in the bible and have an answer, but in recent study, I've been reminded that the scriptural conceptions of time are far different from our own. Nevertheless, "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall ever be in my mouth" (Psalm 34:1). Oh, and I have a word for all of you who are anxious about time or money: "Put you trust in him always (that's all the time), O people, for God is our refuge" (Psalm 62:9). He who is our source and our end, Alpha and Omega, our Lord Jesus Christ, is with us; and he will bless.
In Godly affection,
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Timothy P. Perkins  , SSC
Previous Issues:
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
Summer 2006
June 2006
Lent 2006
Advent 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
Summer 2004
Easter 2004
Lent 2004
February 2004
Epiphany 2004
Advent 2003
Easter 2003
Lent 2003
February 2003
Epiphany 2003
October 2002
|
|
