For the past six weeks or so of our advancement campaign, you have been hearing a lot about the practical reasons why giving to ministry at Good Shepherd is important. Those reasons are obvious: to keep the lights on, pay staff, and fund ministries, money is essential. But, by far, the most important reason to give towards ministry is because it is one of the most beneficial spiritual practices possible.
Is there any other material thing in our lives than money that gets more of our mental bandwidth, worry, and planning? Which of us doesn’t constantly check our bank balances or watch how our savings accounts are doing if we even have such savings? Day after day, we receive constant messages, whether explicit or implicit, that we need to worry about our finances. There is something practical to all this. And because of all the attention we give to money, parting with our money is perhaps the most difficult spiritual thing we can imagine. Which is why it’s spiritually beneficial for each of us to give money to ministry. This is not giving something that is ours, but, rather, giving back to God what is rightly God’s.
Giving is a spiritual discipline because, at its heart, it reminds us that all the stuff of our lives that we think defines us and protects us really doesn’t. Giving reminds us that we are completely and utterly dependent on God. Like any discipline, the practice of giving is painful at first. I dare say that it is always a bit painful, but over time, it expands our hearts so that the pain is less palpable. The pain is simply a part of the purgative and healing process, for we find that our priorities change. Perhaps we find ourselves less anxious. Above all, we find that we are putting our complete trust in God. In some small way, we are assuming the self-emptying posture of a Christ-shaped life.
I have heard advice given in stewardship campaigns that one should give until it feels good. I think I understand what this means: give until your generosity feels like the right thing to do. But I wonder if it’s better advice to encourage giving until it is a bit uncomfortable. If our financial gift to the church is not making us a bit uncomfortable, then perhaps we need to give more. This is countercultural, because we are usually told to prioritize all the practical aspects of our household, then give what we can to God. Sacrificial giving operates in the opposite way. Give to God first, then figure everything else out.
As we approach Commitment Sunday this weekend, I offer thanks to those of you who have already made pledge commitments for 2023. The future of this parish and its life-changing ministry is dependent on your generous gifts of money, time, and talents. Even if you have pledged online, please bring a pledge card on Sunday to offer as a visible sign of your support for God’s work in this parish. And if you have not yet pledged, please join me in prayerfully considering how much to give as a spiritual practice for the health of all our souls. If you have pledged before, would you please consider increasing your pledge to match with rising costs of utilities and other cost of living increases? If you are new to pledging, would you consider making a tithe (10% of one’s household income) or at least setting a goal to work towards a tithe? Please recall, too, the distinction between pledging and plate giving. They are not the same, nor are they mutually exclusive. Nor are our gifts of time and talents interchangeable with financial giving precisely for the reasons I have mentioned above. We are to give to God something of all of our lives.
There are manifold reasons to financially support Good Shepherd. But above all, our own giving models God’s abundant giving to us. God gives generously to us even when we fail to give to him in return. Good Shepherd, while confronting its immense financial challenges is giving in so many ways to the community and church in spite of its situation; our giving to the world is not tied to expectations of reciprocity. And each of us is called to give in such a reckless and extravagant way. It’s good for God’s mission and the proclamation of the gospel. But above all, it is good for our souls. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
Yours in Christ,
Father Kyle