I am about 6 weeks into the job. I have met with 80 parishioners. I am going on retreat with the Vestry this weekend. I have had extensive, prayerful conversations with the staff. I have met with innumerable ministry leaders.

In all of these conversations I have been looking for signs of life, signs of the life of God alive in us. And I see it everywhere. I find abundance, and blessing, and richness in this parish all around me. We are awash in God’s blessing.

• I have experienced the warmth of people’s hearts – genuine, gracious people.
• I have been touched by the wisdom of rich experiences, older parishioners who have lived adventures and created the history I learned in school.
• I have seen the vitality of youth and children – smart, good looking kids, full of potential.
• I have been impressed by the education and professional experience of adults thriving in the high-productive period of their lives.
• I have been in parishioner homes, beautiful homes – open to the hospitality of grace.
• I have been blessed by the receptivity and encouraging words of people as they respond to my preaching and teaching.
• I see openness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I sense a longing for people to be touched by the Holy Spirit. I discern a yearning to know the heart of God.

So much abundance. So many blessings.

And this:

Jim Tracy (our General Manager) tells me we are out of money.

Out of money? What do you mean we are out of money?

Well, not exactly out of money.

Okay. Not exactly out of money. Exactly what?

Well, its kind of complicated.

Complicated? How can “out of money” be complicated?

Well, we are being floated right now by about $100,000 in special financial resources.

“Special financial resources.”

Right. Special financial resources.

So. . . . without the $100,000 in. . . . What did you call it?

Uh, Special financial resources.

So without the $100,000 in “Special Financial Resources” we’d be out of money.

Right. We’d be out of money.

Interesting. Okay, I think I got it.

Despite the great abundance I see all around me, despite the richness of the lives we live, despite the blessing that God continues to pour out upon us – pressed down, shaken together and overflowing with abundance – the parish as a whole lives under a burden of financial scarcity.

Really?

I have listened to our parishiponers, heard the story of their lives. I have seen how God is blessing us super-abundantly. There is no doubt in my mind that God has singled us out for extraordinary mission – otherwise what accounts for the richness I see all around me?

And yet in the midst of such great abundance, the parish as a whole struggles financially.

Despite God’s great faithfulness, the parish has yet to experience the joy of faithful stewardship. I’ve got to look into this. Something here just doesn’t quite square up with the power of God at work in those who believe.

This promises to be very interesting.