​“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”
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Matthew 24:45–47
Last month we had the sad news that Father James Sigler, who served Emmanuel from 1991 to 2006, passed away in Texas on September 7th. He was a prolific reader, deeply interested in theology, a gardener, and birder. He was also a wise leader of the church and faithfully stewarded it for longer than anyone else had since its founding in 1855.

Thinking of his life and legacy makes me consider the Bible’s description of a “faithful and wise servant.” The passage at the top of the page comes in the midst of what is called the Olivet Discourse. It is a section of the book where Jesus is speaking to His disciples about the future with its signs and challenges.

In the midst of this, He gives them the example of the “faithful and wise servant” who is put in charge of the master’s household. This person is someone who is a faithful steward of what has been entrusted to them. He treats the other servants well, watches himself and his behavior, and is wise with what belongs to the master.

This theme of stewardship is a prominent one in the Scriptures. Biblically, stewardship is care for all that God has entrusted to us. Our lives, bodies, intellect, health, resources, talents, education, time, work, finances, family, friends, neighbors, all of creation and even the dirt under our feet. Everything in this world and how we interact with it is stewardship.
Unfortunately, when we start to talk about stewardship in the church, it can sound like stewardship is just about money. This is most definitely not the case, and yet, it is often our finances which reveal what we think of the rest of our stewardship. Money is a tangible item which shows us what is going on inside of us. If I love something and want to care for it, then finances are often more freely given towards it. We care for what we love.

I love this church and I am so thankful for this opportunity to serve you here and to be able to steward the church and the work we do to carry out the call and purposes of God. Many have done the same in the past, whether as clergy or lay members of the church.

Father Sigler faithfully did his part in caring for the church and passed it on to us. I am thankful for his legacy and the legacy of all who have come before us. Let us do our part to be stewards of all that has been entrusted to us.
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In Christ,
Fr. Seth

#FaithfulStewardship, #FatherJamesSigler, #EmmanuelEpiscopalChurch, #EpiscopalChurch #ChristianStewardship, #FaithfulService​

Tara and I just came back from New York City, where we had the chance to spend time with two other married couples who went to seminary with us.  From 2003-2006, we all lived and studied together in a small town outside of Pittsburgh, PA.  Our lives had been connected over twenty years ago by our faith, our pursuit of a common goal, and our enduring struggles, and we remain connected today.

In our reading from Ecclesiastes, the teacher is traditionally identified as Solomon, but in the book the author is identified only as the “Teacher.”  Ecclesiastes is an unflinching look at the world and gives advice, both practical and spiritual, for how to live.  Our passage is part of a larger section on the importance of friendship.  It identifies for us the significance of having people with you who you love and trust.  This advice is both practical and spiritual.  We need people with us as companions in this journey through life, and we need people to encourage us in our faith.  It is so easy to get lost on this journey or to lose our passion, and good friends can help us to hold fast when times are hard.  It is in particular this last line that speaks to me, “If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.  But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”  Our lives are filled with falls.  When we are knocked down or trip over our own feet, a good friend helps us get up.  This is especially true of our faith.  Jesus is there to lift us when we fall, and our friends are often that living embodiment of the grace of Christ in our lives. 

It was so wonderful to see our friends.  It had been decades since we had all been together at the same time, yet here we were, immediately close and filled with joy.  Seminary had been hard; there were theological disagreements, babies lost in miscarriage, and strained relationships, yet we stuck it out together in prayer and love by the grace of God.  The result of this was a beautiful closeness and love.  That is the hope of the church.  That we will become closer through our faith, through our unified hope and purpose, but also through our laboring through the struggles of life.  I am thankful for these last sixteen years.  For the way that they have caused us to become close and I am filled with confidence and hope as we journey into the future together, that God will continue to unite us as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
​In Christ, Fr. Seth Kellermann

#Ecclesiastes, #FaithJourney, #ChristianReflection, #WalkingInFaith, #BiblicalWisdom