God who extravagantly blesses,
you give us much and ask us to be purposeful in how we use it.
It’s that time of year when many churches think more intentionally
about how to allocate their funds
and invite members into the spiritual discipline of giving.
There’s extra anxiety around money talk this year,
since the global economy seems so unpredictable.
Help us to trust in your abundance.
We are called to be faithful handlers of so much more than money, though.
Make us good stewards of our voices, raising them for just causes
our attention, training it on the things that build up ourselves and others
our votes, merging our faith commitments with our civic ones
our energy, speeding up and slowing down in ways that feed the greater good
our words, speaking love into a polarized world
our hope, refusing to let anyone crush it underfoot
our stories, sharing how you have worked in, around, and through us
our roles, using our authority in our spheres wisely
our silence, making room for you to speak into our lives.
God, we thank you for the riches worth more than money.
Give us the ability to see them
and the courage to use them
for the building up of your people
and your just realm.
Amen.
Laura Stephens-Reed is a clergy and congregational coach working with ministers and churches across the ecumenical spectrum. Having served in a variety of pastoral roles and denominations, she is primarily affiliated with the Alliance of Baptists and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and has ministerial standing in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Based in northwest Alabama (United States), Laura is married to a United Methodist pastor, and they have a seven-year-old son. She blogs weekly at laurastephensreed.com.
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