Stewardship Central 

Matthew 4:20- "Immediately they left their nets and followed him."
Discipleship cost Peter and Andrew everything they had. They left their trade, their hometown, their families, and they followed Jesus. God has called us to the same discipleship, the same devotion, though the exact details of how that is lived out will vary. The important thing is this: we know that all we have is the Lord's, to be used for His purpose. We are His disciples and are ready to follow where He leads.

Stewardship Central 

Matthew 3:15-"But Jesus answered him, 'Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.'"
The reason God sent His Son into the world is to fulfill all righteousness for us, to do what we could not do. Here, Jesus plunges Himself into our sins and soaks them up in His Baptism, so that in our Baptism we might be cleansed and renewed. The whole of Jesus' life, everything He did and said, was one great offering to the Father in our stead to fulfill all righteousness for us.

Stewardship Central 

Luke 2:49-"And he said to them, 'Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?'"
What a privilege the Lord has given to us by calling us to come to His house! It is not a burden but rather an honor and blessing for us to always be able to come to a place where we know God is present for us in His gifts of Word and Sacrament. Likewise, the Lord has honored us by allowing us to support the work of His house with our tithes and offerings.

Stewardship Central 

Matthew 1:21 - "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
What our good works could never do, Jesus has done: He has saved us from our sins, paid our debt, set us free. How can we not give thanks to Him with lives of generosity and godliness? What God's Law could not do - truly motivate us to truly good works - Jesus' Love has done!

Stewardship Central 

Luke 13:26- "Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.'"
Proximity to Jesus and the things of faith is not faith itself. Many Pharisees heard His Word but ignored it and refused to believe in it. We want to be not only hearers, but also doers of Jesus' Word. We want not only proximity to Jesus, but true communion with Him. We want to hear Him, follow Him, praise Him and return thanks.

Stewardship Central - August 17

Luke 12:51- "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division."
Jesus has come to divide us out of the world - to carve out a people for Himself, redeemed by His blood and trusting His Word. The world hates this Word, but for us it is life and salvation. We seek to follow Jesus' Word in all things because we know Him who gave us the Word: we know He always seeks to bless us.

Stewardship Central - August 3

Luke 12:15- "And he said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in abundance of his possessions.'"
Coveting is the opposite of being content with what God has given us. And the cure for coveting is twofold: thankfulness to God and generosity toward God's purposes. So be on guard against all covetousness. Acknowledge that your Father has given you all that you need, and therefore be free and confident in directing the mammon of this world toward godly purposes. 

Stewardship Central - July 27

Luke 11:11- "What father among you, if his son asks for fish, will instead of fish give him a serpent?"
A generous, giving spirit comes from knowing that you have a generous, giving Father. He will care for our needs. We are therefore free to reflect His generosity in our lives. We can be generous in raising our children, supporting the church and serving our neighbor in the community. In these three areas - home, church and society - the Lord has called us to show His grace and generosity to those around us.

Stewardship Central - July 13

Luke 10:25b - "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
There is nothing right about this question. What shall I do to inherit? What can I do to inherit the throne of England? You can't do anything to gain it. An inheritance comes by family ties, not deeds. Our deeds follow and result from our faimily ties. The Father calls us His own children. So we inherit eternal life by grace, and seek to live out our new calling as the Father's children with our good works.

Stewardship Central - June 29th

1 kings 19:18-"Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him."
Elijah was so sure that he was right, that he was the only one left who had not gone after Baal. But he was too pessimistic; his faith in God was off-center. We can't go by our wisdom. We must trust the Lord and what He has revealed to us in His Word.  Think about how this applies to our support of God's work in the church with our offerings. Look in the Table of Duties in Luther's Small Catechism to see what the Bible has to say about our giving.

Stewardship Central - June 1

Acts 1:16- "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus."
Judas sold out our Lord for 30 pieces of silver. That is, he sold out his friend, master and teacher for the sake of greed. That is a sharp reminder for us to search our ow hearts for greed and to pray that the Lord would help us to turn from it before it consumes us.

Stewardship Central - May 4th

John 21:6- "He said to them, 'Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.' So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish."
Won't the disciples ever learn? Jesus did this once before - when the odds seemed completely against it, the Lord gave them a commend to let down the nets, a command that seemed crazy. But they complied and He blessed their obedience. When will we learn this lesson, too?

Stewardship Central - April 27th

John 20:19- "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' "
Fear is the opposite of faith. That is, the kind of cringing fear we have in the face of something that is hostile to us and more powerful than we are. Jesus spends a lot of His time telling the disciples to not be afraid. Our fears constantly hem us in and prevent us from following the Lord's will. But there is no need to fear. Jesus has conquered. No fear can keep us locked up. We have been set free by Jesus for lives that declare His marvelous deeds.

Stewardship Central - March 23rd

Luke 13:3- "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."
The season of Lent is all about repentance: turning back to the Lord, away from our sins, in faith. We know that it is only in the Lord that we can find salvation. So, we do well in this season of repentance to examine ourselves, asking questions like, "What is a sin I need to repent of and leave behind?" Then we turn to the Lord for the strength to leave these sins behind, and for the courage to follow Him in faith and faithful living.

Stewardship Central - March 2nd

Transfiguration: Luke 9:36 - "And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone." 
Moses and Elijah point to Jesus, speak about Jesus and His sacrifice, and then are happy to fade into the background. They know that what we need is Jesus. With our eyes focused on Him and Him alone, the rest of our lives comes into focus. He is primary, all else secondary. When that order is right in our lives, things truly fall into place. Or as Jesus Himself said, "Seek first the kingdom of God...and all these things will be added to you" Matt. 6:33.

Stewardship Central - February 23rd

Luke 6:30-31 - "Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them." 
Is it really possible to live like this? Would it really work to be so open-handed and generous? Our conscience often reminds us of our failures, and the lord knows our frailty, that's for sure! But a life of faith is a life lived in imitation of Jesus - and every follower of Jesus knows that yes, indeed, it is better to give then receive.

Stewardship Central - February 2nd 

Presentation of Our Lord and Purification of Mary/Candlemas
Luke 2:24 - "[They went] to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, 'a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.'" 
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, God gives us the pattern of proportional giving. If you look at Leviticus 12, you'll see that the sacrifice for purification was either a lamb or a pair of birds if the family had no means to buy a lamb. God calls us to give in proportion to how He has blessed us - and of course Jesus sets the pattern by giving not only a portion, but His all.

Stewardship Central - January 26th

1 Cor. 12:16- "And if the ear should say, ' Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body."
The Lord has called each of us individually and given each of us unique gifts. He has made our whole lives holy in our Baptism and has called us to live together in the church, His body. You are a part of that body, and that body needs you and the gifts the Lord has given you. This is your holy calling from the Lord.

Stewardship Central - Dec. 29th

Luke 3:21- "Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying..."
We know why the people were baptized, but why was Jesus baptized? He didn't need repentance or forgiveness. The answer is that He did it for us. The reason God sent His Son into the world is to fulfill all righteousness for us, to do what we could not do. The whole of Jesus' life, everything He did and said, was one great offering to the Father in our stead to fulfill all righteousness for us. With our righteousness fulfilled in Jesus and given to us in Baptism, our hearts now overflow with thanksgiving and praise.

Stewardship Central - Dec. 29th

Luke 3:21- "Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying..."
We know why the people were baptized, but why was Jesus baptized? He didn't need repentance or forgiveness. The answer is that He did it for us. The reason God sent His Son into the world is to fulfill all righteousness for us, to do what we could not do. The whole of Jesus' life, everything He did and said, was one great offering to the Father in our stead to fulfill all righteousness for us. With our righteousness fulfilled in Jesus and given to us in Baptism, our hearts now overflow with thanksgiving and praise.

Stewardship Central 

Hebrews 10:14- "For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."
Our Lord Jesus has provided the one offering for sin. What we offer to the Lord is not a sacrifice for effort. Rather, what we give to the Lord's work in the church is a thank offering, a sign of our dependency on God and all He has given us.

Stewardship Central 

Mark 10:29-30 - "Jesus said, ' Truly. I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the Gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life." 
This is Jesus' encouragement for every faithful disciple - let it encourage you today.

Stewardship Central 

Mark 10:29-30 - "Jesus said, ' Truly. I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the Gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life." 
This is Jesus' encouragement for every faithful disciple - let it encourage you today.

Stewardship Central 

Hebrews 3:18-19 -  "And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief."
Unbelief leads to disobedience -that is, every sin expresses the opposite of faith. True and living faith guides us into the Lord's way and the Lord's plan. And when we fall into sin it's because we are not trusting the Lord's goodness and provision.

Stewardship Central 

Mark 10:6 - "But from the beginning of creation..."
In recent years our country, alone with most (formerly) Christian nations of Europe, have lost their way when it comes to marriage. We have ignored the fact that it is God who created us. We always go off-the-tracks when we forget that He made us and that everything good in this world comes from His hand. In big things and in small things, in the life of a nation or the life of an individual, things go dreadfully wrong when we ignore the Creator's design for family and life.

Stewardship Central 

Mark 9:45 - "And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell."
So what is causing us to sin? Lust? Greed? Fear? Better to cut it off! We need the Lord's help to do this - and you are in the right place this Lord's Day to receive that help through Word and Sacrament! 

Stewardship Central 

Mark 9:24 - "Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, 'I believe; help my unbelief!'"
Haven't we often felt like this! And notice that Jesus does not throw the man out because of his weakness of faith: He still has pity, and He still blesses us and calls us to a deeper faith, as He did to the disciples in the boat on the storm-tossed sea. How does our faith grow? By hearing the Word of God. What does our faith lead to as it grows? A godly life lived in thanksgiving to our Lord.

Stewardship Central 

Ephesians 5:6-7- "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them."
The wrath of God is a real thing, and we would do well to reflect on this. We want to stay away from anything that would take us away from the Lord. As Mary replied to the angel Gabriel, "I am the handmaiden of the Lord, may it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). We are the Lord's servants; therefore we cling to His Word.

Stewardship Central 

Ephesians 4:28- "Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need."
God gives us honest work to do so that we can be a blessing to others. That's how so many of God's blessings go: He gives to us so that we in turn can be a blessing to others. He graciously calls us into the midst of His own work in the world.

Stewardship Central 

Ephesians 4:1- "I Therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called."
The callings we have from the Lord are our "vocations." Here Paul talks about our vocation as Christians. We are called to be His people and reflect His love, generosity and peace within the church.

Stewardship Central 

Amos 7:8- "And the LORD said to me, 'Amos, what do you see?' And I said, 'A plumb line.' Then the Lord said, 'Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass by them.' " 
In the book of Amos, the Lord condemns the people for their lack of kindness, charity and generosity toward the weak and lowly. God takes great offense at this because His activity toward us is built on kindness, charity and generosity. He wants us to respond in kindness, charity and generosity.​​​