The ethic of caring for something, tending to it lovingly, is something we see around us all the time: parents with their children, a gardener with their plot of earth, a collector of rare items with their collection. Caring for resources one has been entrusted with, planning and managing with care and love, is the ethos of stewardship.

A steward, historically, was a person put in charge of a household, with responsibilities around food production and service in particular. Some of us remember a time when flight attendants were known as stewardesses (and, occasionally, steward). They took care of you during a flight, keeping you fed, comfortable, and safe.

As First Parish, we are in the midst of our annual pledge drive. Members and friends are being canvassed, that is solicited, for their financial commitment to the congregation for the 2012-2013 church year, which begins July 1. Pledging is the promise you make to support the church financially, allowing the leadership to budget appropriately.

What we are engaged in is stewardship of our beloved faith community. With the care that a parent brings to his children or a gardener to her garden, we lovingly care for what we have been entrusted with. We do it because we are thankful that First Parish is here, and for what it offers us. We do it because we want to continue participating in the bounty of programs, classes, and worship services.

And we are also good stewards of First Parish because we want this community to be here for others who will need it in the future. Those who have come before us, for more than three hundred years, offered us this place and we benefit from their stewardship. Our stewardship is a gift we are offering future generations of religious liberals who will call this place home.

As a vibrant, healthy church we enjoy what we have. Let us also think of the future, of what this congregation can be for us in the next few years, and for those will come after us. What kind of legacy will they inherit from us?

A Tale from the Talmud

One day, Honi the Circle Maker was walking on the road and saw a man planting a carob tree. Honi asked the man, "How long will it take for this tree to bear fruit?"

The man replied, "Seventy years."

Honi then asked the man, "And do you think you will live another seventy years and eat the fruit of this tree?"

The man answered, "Perhaps not. However, when I was born into this world, I found many carob trees planted by my father and grandfather. Just as they planted trees for me, I am planting trees for my children and grandchildren so they will be able to eat the fruit of these trees."