STEWARDING POWER

Power is a topic that we often don’t consider carefully until we experience its abuse or we find ourselves in a position where we feel we do not have it. During these moments we realize how important power is in the shaping of our world. Power al- lows us to cultivate our own lives and the world around us. When power is misused or seemingly absent we instinctively cry out, longing for it to be rightly stewarded. But what does it mean to steward power?

As we consider this important question of significant relevance today, we will take these next four weeks to consider the following:

• Week 1: How do I use my power?
• Week 2: For what purpose do I use my power?
• Week 3: How can I steward power towards freedom?
• Week 4: How can I steward power towards healing?

We will not be developing a comprehensive theology of power; rather, we will be listening to four different New Testament passages to hear how God is at work in us so that we might steward power in His likeness. During our Sunday sessions, we will introduce the theme for the week ahead, accompanied by some introductory and relevant teaching. We will see how from the very beginning, power is to be understood relationally, and when God is both the source and purpose of our power we see the flourishing that this rightful stewardship of power brings into our lives and the world around us. The Bible paints a beautiful picture of this for us, present- ing power as an expression of love that God has conferred upon us, wielding tremendous potential. We are looking forward to the coming weeks and seeing how the Spirit of God leads you to consider the power that you have and how you can uniquely steward that power towards greater freedom and healing.

For those who are interested in learning more about this topic, I would recommend this list of books to help you develop this topic further:

• Andy Crouch, Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power
• bell hooks, All About Love
• Donald Kraybill, Upside-Down Kingdom, Updated Edition

A key framework for this journey is Hearing-Believing-Responding. Simply put, what we hear shapes what we believe which in turn affects our responses to life situations. The most important voice in our lives is God’s and each week begins by exploring what we need to hear from God.