“The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. As it is written, ‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures for ever.’
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others, while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

“Planting the seeds of faith…reaping the joys of giving!” is the theme of our Stewardship campaign. During the month of October the sermons will focus on the different facets of stewardship.

Sunday, October 7 -World Communion Sunday. “What Belongs to God?”

Exodus 20:1-2; Luke 20:20-26. We live in a complex world of competing loyalties. Loyalty to God is a different and higher category than loyalty to family or nation. Loyalty to God is our highest duty.

Sunday, October 14 – “Risky Living…Risky Giving” 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; Matthew 6:25-34. Jesus calls us to a risky way of living in seeking first the kingdom of God. Our greatest need is to trust completely in God, as evidenced by the cheerful giving of our time, talent and treasure to the ongoing work of Christ through the church.

Sunday, October 21 – Pledge Sunday. Philippians 4:15-20, Matthew 6:22-24. “Talking About Money Makes Me Uncomfortable” Jesus spoke about money and possessions more than any other subject except the Kingdom of God. But let’s admit it; it’s hard to talk about money because it is so intertwined with who we are and how we live. Let’s ask God’s Spirit to help us sort out our thoughts and feelings on this important subject.

Sunday, October 28 – “Giving Grace and the Grace of Giving” Psalm 65:1-8; Luke 18:9-14.  When we are aware of our need for God’s grace, we will not be able to look down on other people. When we rely on God’s grace we are freed to give and serve in many different ways.

Please prayerfully consider how your pledge for 2008 will not only provide for the ongoing work of the church but will plant seeds for the future of Rolling Hills.

A good question to ask during this stewardship emphasis is, “What can I do in this life that will outlive my earthly existence?” When we plant seeds we are investing for the future. We are investing beyond ourselves.

The apostle Paul wrote to the early Christians, “The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

Proverbs 11: 25 –“A generous person will be enriched, and one who gives water will get water.”

This is the year for each member and friend of Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church to plant the seeds of faith….bountifully! We know that it is God alone who sees the intentions of our hearts.

I am reminded of the email that is going around again about the famous Olympic skier Picabo Street (pronounced Peek-A-Boo). Picabo is not just an athlete.... she is now a nurse currently working at the Intensive Care Unit of a large metropolitan hospital. She is not permitted to answer the telephone in the unit.

It caused too much confusion when she would answer the phone and say,

“PICABO, I.C.U.!”)

God sees the intention of our hearts: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” “The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

The reformer Martin Luther said, “I have tried to keep things in my hands and lost them all, but what I have given into God’s hands I still possess.”

Eleanor Roosevelt, “When you cease to make a contribution you begin to die.”

And as J. Paul Getty bluntly said, “Money is like manure. You have to spread it around or it smells.”

We have many choices today about how we will spend and invest our financial resources. Every generation has to determine priorities.

Listen to the following taken from this week’s New York Times:  “Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft, is the richest man on earth. R. J. Bollard, a freshman at the University of Washington, said he would have 73 cents left in his bank account as of midnight. And that’s one reason Mr. Gates is likely to be the richest man on earth for quite a while.

Both were at a Best Buy store in Bellevue, Wash., on Monday night as the third installment of Halo, Microsoft’s hit video game series, went on sale at 12:01 a.m. yesterday. Just before that moment, Mr. Gates was hand-shaking his way down the line of customers. Among them was Mr. Bollard, 18, who said the 73 cents was all he would have left after buying the game.

Even before the doors opened, more than 1.7 million consumers had preordered the game, which is available in three versions priced from $60 to $130.

“I don’t know how I’m going to feed myself,” Mr. Bollard said.

The article goes on to say:

“The success of Halo 3 is critical for Microsoft, which has struggled to get its Xbox game players into homes around the world. While it is primarily a game machine, the Xbox 360 also plays DVDs and movies downloaded from the Internet. Microsoft views the game machine as an entry point into the home, where it may serve as an entertainment hub.

But the game machines have not been profitable.

Microsoft hopes that the new Halo futuristic shoot-’em-up game, which is exclusive to the Xbox 360, will persuade more consumers to choose its game machine over the PlayStation 3 from Sony or the Wii from Nintendo. Although the Xbox — and Halo 3 — appeals to hard-core gamers, Microsoft’s game machine has been outsold lately by the cheaper and less-powerful Wii.

Microsoft has sold nine million Xbox 360s since the introduction of the console in 2005. But Nintendo has sold just as many Wii machines since their debut late last year, largely because their simplicity appeals to a broader group of players. The PlayStation 3, which also was introduced in late 2006, has sold about four million units.”

When I was a boy I rode my bicycle from 59th Terr. to 63rd & Brookside where I would go to the Dime Store to by baseball cards or a balsa wood airplane and then to Katz Drug store to by 25c comic books!

Whether we spend our money on high-tech video games or baseball cards, we must determine our priorities. Every generation is faced with choices.

And, parenthetically, did you know that if you were born before 1982 you are considered a “digital immigrant,” and if you were born in 1982 or later you are a “digital native”- that is you were born into the world of the Internet, cell phones, IPods, IPhones, Xboxes, blackberries, laptops, Power point, Playstations, Wii machines, CDs, DVDs.

Some think that digital natives are surrounded by digital media to such an extent that their very brain structures may be different from those of previous generations! But that theory is still being debated.

This is a crucial time for all age groups at Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church. Without being overly dramatic, I think we could consider this a hinge-point in the church’s history.

It is a time to ask questions:

• Where are my priorities?

• Where is my treasure?
• Where is my heart?
• What seeds can I plant that will outlive my earthly existence?”

May God guide and direct the members and friends of Rolling Hills in this season of stewardship as we plant the seeds of faith and reap the joys of giving.