Keep the Mysteries Alive

~~~ 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 ~~~ Psalm 37 ~~~ Luke 5:33-39 ~~~

Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ

and stewards of the mysteries of God. 

Servant...a person who performs duties for others...
a devoted and helpful follower or supporter.
We are servants because Jesus himself came to serve.
He modeled for us exactly what it means to have a servant's heart.
He tells us I come to serve not to be served.
(Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45)

We serve Christ by caring for the poor, the meek, the humble...
those who have no one to speak on their behalf.
We are servants of Christ when we reach out to the marginalized.

Steward...someone who protects or is responsible...

As stewards we are to preserve and protect the Gospel message of love.
As stewards we are to support and maintain
what has been passed down to us in tact.
We must guard the whole message
not just the parts that feel good.

 ...it is of course required of stewards
that they be found trustworthy.

When you are given charge over something that is precious
 and valuable you must be of strong character.
One of the highly treasured qualities is trustworthiness.
If you cannot be trusted how can you be put over the mysteries of God?
In order for mysteries to exist there must be trust.

What an awesome responsibility to be given charge over a mystery.

A mystery, something that we cannot understand or even really explain.
How does one care for a mystery?
Saint Paul carefully preserved the mysteries of God.
He passed it on to others.
He held the mystery in a special place in his own heart.
He went about preaching and teaching with passion.
And many came to believe, because Paul was trustworthy.
He was not seeking his own glory.
He was working for the Lord.

You cannot care for something or someone very well
 if you do not also love.
Serving comes out of loving.

Serving also comes out of duty.

A good steward must trust as much if not more than they love.

We are Blessed to also servant and steward
of the mysteries of God.
We do not understand. we cannot see,
but we spread the good news.
We keep the mysteries of God alive.
~~~Peace~~~

Stewards of the Mysteries

~~~ 1Cor 4:1-5 ~~~ Psalm 37 ~~~ Luke 5: 33-39 ~~~

 

Here are some of the phrases that struck me this morning...

"...stewards of the mysteries of God...

...be found trustworthy...

....do not make any judgment...

...he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness...
...and will manifest the motives of our hearts..."

 

Have you ever considered being a steward of the mysteries of God?

How overwhelming is that?

There are wine stewards and cabin stewards.

A steward manages and acts on behalf of another.

A steward is the agent of another.

Paul says he and now us as well are left to manage the mysteries of God.

How can you be a good steward unless you are prepared for the job?

 

In a restaurant the wine steward would spend a great deal of time

learning all that he/she could about different wines.

They would study the wine making process.

They learn how to use words to describe the qualities of each wine.

They are able to answer the customers questions about a particular wine.

They would be able to suggest the best wine for the entree you order.

 

You can only be a good wine steward by preparing and gaining

knowledge of what makes each wine unique.

 

If this is required to make a person a good wine steward;

what should be required of us to be called

 stewards of the mysteries of God?

Paul suggests that we be trustworthy.

Are you reliable?

Are you dependable?

In our world today we are faced with too many

instances where we cannot trust.

The internet confirms that you cannot trust everything

just because it is published.

We often do not know who we can trust or who we should trust.

We discover too late that we should not have trusted someone.

In my classroom I had children that could not trust their own parents.

How sad is that?

 

We must make a conscious commitment to be trustworthy.

It is a moral value we should be able to practice.

Even Jesus was betrayed by someone he trusted to be a

steward of the mysteries of God.

 

"...Commit to the LORD your way;
trust in him, and he will act.

Turn from evil and do good..."

 

When we read the psalmist encouraging us

to commit to the Lord

and trust him, we have doubts.

If we are truly a trustworthy person we will be about doing good.

Trusting in the Lord requires us to admit

that we are not in control.

 

"Can you make the wedding guests fast
while the bridegroom is with them?"

 

When Jesus is present to you it is a time for rejoicing.

It would be rude to fast when the Lord comes to his feast.

 

Years ago we were required to fast before receiving Eucharist

from the night before until the Mass.

It was difficult for many people to abstain from food for so many hours.

Now the more reasonable one hour of fasting is easily met.

 

After you have been fasting the taste of food is much more appreciated.

Fasting can be used as a reminder of how God meets our needs.

Fasting reminds us that we take food for granted.

Somehow when you can't have something

it makes you want it even more.

Funny how our brain plays that trick on us.

 

 

I invite you to look

at fasting as the opportunity

to be more aware of your body.

Fasting can give us the chance to be grateful

for how remarkable our bodies are made.

 

When you are in the presence of the Lord

he offers abundant nourishment.

But when he is gone, fasting may signify

our longing to be in his presence once again.

 

If you desire to live in a manner to be

a steward of the mysteries of God,

 learn all you can about our God.

Be diligent about growing in the knowledge of his mysteries.

Make the intention in your prayer time to become

the best steward God could have ever chosen. 

 

...he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness...
...and will manifest the motives of our hearts...

May our desire to be good and trustworthy

stewards of the mysteries of God

keep us close by his side.