Dennis Linn, one of my favorite Jesuit writers, speaks about our relationship with God saying “We become like the God we adore”. He expounds on this idea, illustrating how like a child emulating her parents and other role models, we ultimately are shaped by our image of God. His words resonate for me. My heart’s desire is to be transformed into God’s image. The God I adore is tender and vulnerable, inviting me to embrace my own vulnerability with courage. My God is gentle and kind, always forgiving. My God raises up the weak and the oppressed, turning upside-down the political economy of the world. But, perhaps most wonderfully, my God is a God of abundance, inviting me to experience ever more deeply the extravagant love poured out on us as God’s children.

As a member of St Thomas parish, I discover more about who I am within the context of our community. From the dedication and discernment I have encountered working with our faithful leaders on the vestry, to the prayerful compassion embodied by my brothers and sisters on our pastoral care committee, to the humbling opportunities to help lead worship as crucifer, as Eucharistic minister, as lay homilist, extending full circle to the exuberant parish life celebrations we enjoy together—I know myself best in belonging to you, my parish family.

Perhaps most precious to me, have been my experiences ministering with our young people at St Thomas. Godly Play, our vibrant Sunday school program, aims to offer our children language to describe their experiences of the divine presence. It also offers our young people a safe, child-centric atmosphere in which to express the unique image of God within each of them. Witnessing their observations and reflections, as we explore our Christian identities in the narratives of the Old Testament, in the parables of the New Testament and in the liturgy of the Episcopal tradition has been an extraordinary gift to me. I recall various moments in our Godly Play classroom whenever I hear or read the gospel of Matthew where Jesus says, "Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs."

I am blown away by the unguarded questions that our children ask as they explore their relationship with God. Their undaunted love for God, their authenticity and joy, their ability to remain grounded in the present moment... each of these gifts they bring not only to their parents and their families but to our larger church family, pure gifts from God to build and renew our spiritual community.

You’ve all heard the saying “it’s better to give than to receive.” I think this is a false dichotomy. It’s not a matter of either giving or receiving. We all know that at some points in time, we are the giver. At others, we receive. And trying to make a qualitative assessment about which produces more joy in our lives just feels silly to me. After all, most of us will admit that we tend not to be focused on doing both at the same time. But what if we could?

This weekend I had the privilege of hearing jazz trumpet player, Chris Botti, perform with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. In addition to his professionalism as an entertainer and his passion for his art, part of what makes Chris such an amazing musician is his ability to perform circular breathing, that is breathing in through the nose while simultaneously breathing out through the mouth to play his trumpet. Now I don’t play wind instruments myself but I realize that this is a truly unique attribute in a musician. Chris can hold a note long after most of us have subconsciously gasped for air, recalling stories of how we nearly passed out trying to sustain a single breath that long. Circular breathing enables the few people on the planet whose bodies CAN perform this amazing feat, to linger on a note or musical phrase, turning a stellar performance into an astonishing physical feat.

Since the concert, I’ve been pondering this image as a possible metaphor for stewardship. Perhaps it’s not so much about whether to give or whether to receive. Maybe I am can re-examine stewardship as an opportunity for practice. While they say that practice makes perfect, I know I’ll be working on this one for a lifetime. However, reframing the stewardship practice in this way, with the emphasis on consciously receiving even while I extend myself in giving is an interesting thought.

I may not be able to hold my a note for measures on end like Christ Botti but surely, with God’s help, I can offer my gifts in the context of our community and notice how very much I am simultaneously receiving in the midst of the giving. Perhaps, drinking deeply of God’s abundance even while I pour myself into giving I can resist the fear that underlies the culture of scarcity that surrounds us and live a deeper yes to God.

I wonder if you might also challenge yourself to a different set of questions this year as you consider stewardship. Where do you see yourself in God’s story of redemption of the world? In what part of our community do you discover yourself responding joyfully to God? What part of St Thomas’ story is about you? Where do your gifts belong within our parish family?

As you pray and wonder about your role in our present and our future at St Thomas, I invite you to reflect upon the God whom you adore. How do you see that God in the faces of our community at St Thomas? In what ways might you be invited to give more, to give differently, to say more fully (as we will in just a few moments/as we have just committed ourselves in the rite of baptism) “I will with God’s help!”

As you let yourself imagine where God invites us to journey together as a parish in the coming year, let your heart bask in the abundance of God’s love for you, God’s beloved child. Because, in the end, stewardship really isn’t a question of whether to give or receive at all. All is gift and there is only abundance. I wonder, what is your part to play in St Thomas’ story?