whoisachristianstewrd

Stewardship Prayer in a Time of Restructuring

Prophets of a Future Not Our Own

By Oscar Romero

It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view.

The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent

enterprise that is God's work.

Nothing we do is complete,

which is another way of saying

that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.

No prayer fully expresses our faith.

No confession brings perfection.

No pastoral visit brings wholeness.

No program accomplishes the church's mission.

No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about:

We plant seeds that one day will grow.

We water seeds already planted,

knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.

We provide yeast that produces effects

beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything and

there is a sense of liberation

in realizing that.

This enables us to do something,

and to do it well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for God's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but

that is the difference between

the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders;

ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own.

—Oscar Romero