Castings: October 2, 2026

Not to possess, but to steward

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.

Jesus tells a story of tenants or stewards who steal from the earth and from the landowner, who kill and destroy. Human desire to build, to own, to possess is deep in the bone. God creates us not to possess, but to steward. God is the sovereign. God is the one that creates and sustains. The earth is God’s. We are God’s. We are made for the care for the earth and its creatures. And we steward each other along the way.

It is tempting to hoard and possess. Jesus invites us to live another way. How will we respond to the temptation to believe this is ours, and not God’s? How will we share the fruits of our labors grown out of God’s creation? What are we stewarding, in our lives and in our churches, that gives life and hope to our communities and our world?

A favorite lyric of mine:

We own nothing, nothing is ours
Not even a love so fierce it burns like baby stars
But this poverty is our greatest gift
The weightlessness of us as things around begin to shift – Emily Saliers