This week we return to the Gospel of Matthew. We pick up Matthew's account at the conclusion. After an introduction and five alternating narrative and teaching sections, Jesus now readies to lay his life down the cross. And it's in this account that we meet two people whose actions represent a stark contrast of values. They each place a value on Jesus and raise the question for us: How do we value Jesus? And do our actions reflect his infinite worth?
This week is Stewardship Sunday. It's the annual time at Ruggles when we talk about money—its blessings, its dangers, and the importance of generosity. This week, we'll see the power of possessions in light of Christ's surprising, upside-down kingdom—where "many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first."
This week is our annual stewardship Sunday, the one week every year when we consider how the Lord calls us to steward our finances for his kingdom purposes. This is also the season when we invite you to plan out your giving to the church for the next year, which serves to grow each of us in generosity while also helping us plan our church budget for the coming year. On Sunday, we'll open up the book of Leviticus and see how God's call to holy living applies to our money.
This week is the once-a-year time in our church when we focus on our finances. We call it Stewardship Sunday. No, this isn't about raising money for the church. It's about prioritizing what God's word prioritizes: More than 2000 verses, including nearly a third of Jesus' parables talk about money! So this week we'll see why God cares so much about our finances and how we can respond.
Did you know that Jesus talks more about money in the Gospels than he does about heaven and hell? Our finances are intimately personal and extremely powerful. Money is a crucial sign and source of our spiritual growth! This Sunday is Stewardship Sunday, which is the annual day we intentionally explore the topic of our finances. Our hope is that we all would "excel in this grace of giving" together.
We're taking a break from our fall sermon series on the Gospel of John for one week. Pastor Larry preaches a special sermon on what the Bible teaches about our attitudes and habits when it comes to being good stewards of our resources.
