Sunday October 20, 2024
The Jewish Feast of Booths, Tabernacles, or Sukkot is currently being celebrated – a harvest festival. It is a time to connect with nature and reflect on our stewardship of all God provides. Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem during this feast (John 7) and proclaimed, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive. For Christians, harvest festivals are a way to give thanks to God for the food reaped and collected. The Hebrew bible calls us to honor the Lord with our wealth, with the first fruits of all our produce: “then will your barns be filled with grain, with new wine your vats will overflow” (Proverbs 3:9-10).
I am asking you to consider how you make your Sunday offering this fall. Do we give what is left over at the end of the week or do we give God the first fruits as an expression of our thanksgiving, praise, and sacrificial worship? One way to ensure that you are giving God the first fruits and not the leftovers is to enroll in Faith Direct as a way to give electronically, a way to be intentional about your weekly or monthly offering. It is easy and secure. I enrolled in August, and it only took four easy steps on my computer. I feel great about my offering to God by supporting our parish mission every time I review my statement. Currently, we have around 100 enrollees. Our goal is to have 700 people giving weekly or monthly through Faith Direct.
Members of our parish Stewardship Committee will be available after all our Sunday liturgies over the next five weeks at a table in the covered courtyard to help you enroll. Give God the first fruits!!
In Christ,
Rev. Robert P. Capone
