Janice Woodruff’s “Sharing Twinkies with God” Stewardship Reflection

Watch Janice Woodruff’s Stewardship Reflection where she talks about the many ways we can all be Stewards and she tells a great story about a boy that shares Twinkies in a park with God. Or read it below.

I have been having ongoing conversations with myself about stewardship ever since I agreed to do this. Stewardship is a big topic and, honestly, I have been brilliant when I’m talking to myself in the shower. However, as soon as I step out my brilliance dulls down. But there are a few threads that keep popping up in my self-discourse, so that’s what I want to explore with you.

As you most likely know, we are in the process of settling my father’s estate and getting ready to move. At least 4 generations of my family have lived in our home, and there are at least 5 generations of STUFF that we are sorting through. I’ve commented to Lahr more than once that I feel like the curator of the Hoffman museum. We have had to make a lot of tough decisions about what to keep, give away/sell or just outright throw away. But this is a form of stewardship – we are acting as agents on behalf of my father’s estate and managing his property and final financial affairs. This is one of the dictionary definitions of a steward.

How does this translate to church stewardship? Well, a funny meme from Episcopal Church Memes that popped up in my FB feed a while back said “In the Episcopal Church any act or event repeated for a second year becomes a tradition. If it is done for yet a third year, it has become a sacred tradition, and let no one dare change it.” I have had to examine almost everything that I see and/or use on daily basis and decide if this is something I have/do because it has become a “sacred tradition” or if it in fact serves a real need now or moving forward. I see stewardship as an ongoing activity where we are all constantly evaluating what we need, what works, and what we need to do to keep moving forward and growing. We need to evaluate if we are using our time, talent and treasure in a way that supports St. Peter’s moving into the future, not just propping up our “sacred traditions” whatever they might be.

I am also a “fiber artist” (a fancy way to say I like to play with sticks and string!). Knit (and crocheted) items are made essentially with one continuous piece of yarn or string. Each row builds on the one made before, and if I drop a stitch or cut anywhere in the fabric it will come unraveled. The integrity of the item depends on the interlocking stitches working together.

Stewardship is not just a “season” of 4-6 weeks where we are made uncomfortable thinking about how much money we can give. In my opinion it is a thread that links all the elements of our life together, and one individual to another. We talk about time, talent and treasure as all being important to the life of the church, and they are. But no one of us can give all three equally. This is where we “interlock” and support each other. Yes, we need to make sure that the bills and payroll are taken care of.

Of course we can write a check or put cash in the plate, and that’s great. But we can also support the Thrift Shop, for example, volunteering time and talent there which in turn will help with our treasure. And paying the bills allows us to open our doors for worship, and we can support that worship with our time and talent. And Church doesn’t only happen on Sundays. So we can support (time, talent and/or treasure) any of the outreach, fellowship, or other programs that speak to us. I cannot do all of this, neither can you. But like any functioning family we each bring our various strengths to the table and support each other and then we are able to “do the needful.”

This can sound pretty overwhelming. But if you knit or crochet, you don’t finish your project all at once. You build it stitch by stitch. And if you just do a little each day, soon enough you have made something wonderful. I see an attitude of daily stewardship working this way, not only here at St. Peter’s but also in each of our lives. I subscribe to gratefulness.org for their “word of the day” which is a daily quote in my email inbox that helps me to open my eyes and heart to gratitude. The website defines grateful living as:
“A way of life which asks us to notice all that is already present and abundant – from the tiniest things of beauty to the grandest of our blessings – and in so doing, to take nothing for granted. We can learn to focus our attention on, and acknowledge, that life is a gift. Even in the most challenging times, living gratefully makes us aware of, and available to, the opportunities that are always available; opportunities to learn and grow, and to extend ourselves with care and compassion to others. Grateful living is based in, and reinforces, values such as respect, responsibility, and generosity. Small, grateful acts every day can uplift us, make a difference for others, and help change the world.”

For me this is another way to be a good steward, for as I acknowledge all the gifts I have been given in this life, I feel compelled to use these gifts to best of my ability. To support others – in my family, here in my church home of St. Peter’s or to those I meet along the way. I want to share a short video I saw this morning, again on my Facebook feed. I’m not sure of the title, but I’m going to call it “Sharing Twinkies with God.”

The video opens with a young boy, maybe 8 or 9, grabs some Twinkies, and two bottles of apple juice, puts them in his backpack and gets ready to head out the door. His mom asks where he’s going. His answer? “I’m going to find God.” The mom in her wisdom says, “Ok, well dinner is at 6.” We see the boy travel a ways to a park where he sits down next to a homeless woman. He opens his Twinkies and offers them to the woman, who smiles with delight at his generosity. He then offers her a bottle of apple juice and they clink their bottles and enjoy each other’s company. Finally our hero looks at his watch, and says, “I have to go,” and gives the woman a big hug and walks off. We next see him entering his kitchen and his mom asks, “So did you find Him?” The boy answers, “God is a woman and has the most beautiful smile I have ever seen!” Meanwhile, we see the homeless woman (still beaming from her encounter) meet up with another homeless woman who asks what she’s been up to. Our woman replies, “having Twinkies with God! He’s younger than I imagined.”

This spoke to me today, for ultimately to be a steward is to administer our gifts as the agent of another or others. So on whose behalf am I managing the gifts I have been given? And for what purpose? Those are the questions each of us need to answer as we pledge our support of the life and ministry of St. Peter’s.