LIVING
GENEROUSLY
a stewardship narrative series presented by TENS
O ctober 10, 2016 T hanksgiving
God (through the wonderful folk of the
Greater Parish of Oxbow) had given me.
hen I was a young priest in
rural Saskatchewan, the anThe urban parish where I now serve
nual Harvest Festival was alincludes one of the most deprived neighways one of the great feasts. And given
bourhoods in Canada. It also includes
the variable nature of the harvest (and
wealthy suburban neighbourhoods where
complicated service schedules), it wasn’t
people daily come to the realization that
always held on the Thanksgiving weekmore “stuff ” does not fill the empty space
end. In those days (and perhaps still) it
in their heart. In one part of the parish,
was the custom that the vegetables and
food security is tenuous at best. In other
other produce that had decorated the
parts, food is regularly wasted.
church were given to the parish priest.
reflection questions
Living generously gives us the opporMy first Harvest Festival in rural
••How does your generosity
tunity to go beyond the false dichotomy
ministry, I diligently put all of the carcompare to what gets
of feast or famine. Both as individuals
rots, potatoes, beets and other produce
wasted in your home and
and as Christian communities, we have
into the cold room in the basement of
your life?
the opportunity to reflect on how blessthe rectory. In a nine-point parish, that
••How does your
was a lot of produce over two Sundays.
ed we have been and how our blessings
relationship with “stuff” —
Within a few weeks, I’d learned that carcan benefit others. Our parish has a
be it the “stuff” you have
rots that weren’t quite as stiff as they had
strong partnership with a local commuor the “stuff you want —
been were still quite edible and that it
nity-based organization that deals with
affect your relationships
was important to trim away the tendrils
with others and with God?
food security issues and offers food eduthat would start to grow from the eyes of
cation programs. Other parishes support
••How does your parish/
the potatoes.
congregation express its
local food banks, run lunch programs,
But there I was, come January or Febgenerosity to the wider
and host community gardens.
ruary, disposing of vegetables that had
community?
One of the litanies in the Canadian
gotten too soft at first to be appetizing
Book
of Alternative Services includes a
and then to be edible. Several had gone
soft, and more than a few of the carrots had gotten moldy. prayer for “abundant harvests for all to share.” What betFood that could have fed someone ended up going in the ter way is there to thank our generous God than by being
trash. I had failed to be a good steward of my resourc- good stewards of the gifts God has given us, and by living
es, and I had squandered at least part of the bounty that generously ourselves?
The Ven. Malcolm French
W
The Venerable Malcolm French is the Archdeacon of
St. Cuthbert and Incumbent of St. James the Apostle,
Regina, in the Diocese of Qu’Appelle.
The Episcopal Network for Stewardship