Stewardship Development

We often hear of Lenten disciplines as part of the observance of the season of Lent. How might that relate to stewardship?

The words "disciple" and "discipline" both come from the ancient Latin word discere, meaning "to learn." Disciples learn from and follow their teacher. A discipline is something that is done on a regular basis, as a means of being obedient, exercising self-control, or subjecting oneself to a higher authority. It is training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behaviour. People who follow Christian disciplines have a goal of becoming better disciples.

Our theology of stewardship suggests that being good stewards is another way to describe how we act as disciples or followers of Jesus' way of being. In relating stewardship to discipleship, then, perhaps we might learn ways to become better stewards through a Lenten discipline.

Lenten disciplines, especially those emanating from fall-redemption theology that focuses on human sinfulness, traditionally involved "giving up" something for Lent. This act of "self-denial" served as an aid to help pious folks reflect on Christ's suffering as depicted in the gospel "passion history" of events leading up to and including his crucifixion. Did you ever "give up" chocolate or coffee or smoking or movies or something else for the six weeks from Ash Wednesday to Easter? Did that enable you to identify with and feel closer to God? Why or why not? After Lent was over, did you go back to what you had "given up," or did it become a continued discipline in your life?

Add Rather than Subtract

That question about whether the discipline became part of your life is key to the reason for practising a new discipline in the first place-to learn something new.

Another kind of Lenten discipline helps that to happen by adding rather than giving up something. Giving up something that is not good for your self is good stewardship, but why practise good stewardship only during Lent? Why not begin a new practice during Lent, a practice that-after six weeks of repetition-becomes an ongoing part of your life of discipleship?

Musicians who practise a new piece of music may forget some of the notes after the actual performance is over. However, the new skills that were developed in learning that piece of music are incorporated into and continue to contribute to their overall musicianship long after the particular notes are forgotten. And so it is with disciples. Once they have learned a new way of looking at the world, it becomes part of who they are. It becomes a new way of being.

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Spiritual Disciplines = Stewardship of Time

One Lenten discipline that adds to the life of a disciple involves taking time to pray and reflect. This is a traditional discipline that originated in the early church, when Lent was a six-week catechumenate period leading up to Easter baptism for new converts. During Lent, they prepared for discipleship by intensive study of the church's teachings about Christ. This evolved into a season for all Christians to engage in a Lenten discipline of deepened spiritual reflection in preparation for Easter.

If you have difficulty finding the time to do this, you might appreciate the experience of one of the leaders of the16th-century Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther once wrote that on days when he didn't have time to pray, every task during the day took much longer to accomplish than if he had taken the time to pray initially. Luther's experience was that if he took time for daily devotions, his whole day went more smoothly. After you have practised for six weeks, you will learn the value of setting aside time on a daily basis-all year round-for meditation, prayer, and reflection. Like Luther, you will discover that a spiritual discipline that sets the tone for your whole day is excellent stewardship of your time and energy.

For suggestions on beginning this kind of a spiritual discipline, see the prayers and ideas on the other Family Ministries pages on this Web site.

There are many other possibilities for adding Lenten disciplines that contribute to your life as a steward. Lent is a wonderful time to make a six-week commitment to participate in a community activity like serving Meals on Wheels or offering your services tutoring in an after-school program. Making your commitment for a specified length of time gives you a chance to "try it out." Even if you decide it's not something you want to do for a long time, you will usually be able to honour a six-week commitment. And you will have contributed significantly for those six weeks.

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Children are Stewards

Families can grow in their stewardship by engaging together in Lenten disciplines. When my daughter was in grade four, we committed to working in an after-school program in a downtown church one afternoon each week during Lent. It happened to be on the same day as her weekly cello lesson and was right on our way. We turned out to be the ones who benefited in many ways, as we

• shared mother-daughter time together
• made new friends we would never have known otherwise
• had a sense that what we contributed was useful and appreciated
• improved (in her case) and brushed up on (in my case) our own skills in math and languages

When Easter came that year, we extended our commitment and continued to volunteer in the Thursday afternoon tutoring program for as long as we lived in that city.

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Dollar Disciplines

Another active idea that can be done by the youngest of children and can teach while involving them in doing something that benefits others is a more "typical" stewardship project. Lenten calendars are frequently designed to raise awareness about our privileged position in the world, while raising money for a world development cause.

Young people in your family could have fun designing their own calendar that "taxes" them for the luxuries in their life. Examples: Pay a nickel for every pair of shoes in your closet, or a quarter for every window in your home. The challenge is coming up with 40 activities, one for each day in Lent! The discipline is remembering to carry out the activity each day, preferably with a family devotion that includes discussion and prayer. (See Graces and Prayers and Seasonal Resources for ideas.)

Another stewardship discipline during Lent might simply be to increase your weekly offering to your local church and/or to the Mission and Service Fund or some other worthy cause. For six weeks, add a sacrificial gift to your regular offering each week. Give until it feels wonderful! When Easter comes, you may be a changed person, a person who absolutely revels in the extravagant feeling of being generous. Lenten disciplines produce disciples who are good stewards.

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Barbara Fullerton, Stewardship Development