From an early age, I remember being in church and, at the offertory, watching my parents put their weekly tithe envelope in the collection plate. How far things have come since then! Most people now give electronically, in addition to placing some money in the plate on a weekly basis. I am grateful for the example set by my parents. I knew from as far back as I can remember that there was something important about setting aside money to give back to God.
Every week at Mass, when the offering of money is brought to the altar, I say (although it’s inaudible to the congregation), “All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee” (1 Chronicles 29:14). Everything circles back to God. But I dare say that most people would rephrase the familiar line from Scripture this way: “Of what we own, O Lord, we give to thee,” or “We give what is ours to thee, O Lord.” We might not want to admit it, but we are usually led to believe that we own what we have. Our money is ours. Our house is ours (if we’ve paid off the mortgage). Our land is ours. Our success and talents are ours. But this is false. All of it, from the dollar bills in our pockets to the money in our Roth IRAs, belongs to God.
Admittedly, this is not comfortable for us to realize, which is why talking about pledging, stewardship, and money in church is not popular. But talk about it we must. I am writing these words in advance of Sunday’s kickoff of our 2023 pledge campaign, which we are now calling an advancement campaign (more on that Sunday!). And although the members of our Discipleship Committee, being chaired by Dr. Ellen Charry, are leading this campaign with gusto and creativity, as your parish priest, I believe it’s my duty to speak about the spiritual practice of pledging and giving.
The primary reason to make a pledge commitment is not practical but spiritual: giving is good for our souls. Just as it’s good for our souls to receive the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood frequently, engage in good works of charity, and regularly confess our sins and receive God’s forgiveness, it is spiritually beneficial for us to give. It reminds us that all we erroneously think is ours actually belongs to God. But there’s more to this. Giving is a spiritual practice precisely when it feels sacrificial, which means not giving what is left over in our budget but doing it the other way around, which is giving first to God (making that a priority), and then figuring out how to work everything else out.
Of course, this is far from practical. We may think it’s foolish to give so liberally when we have bills to pay, mouths to feed, and retirement accounts to cultivate. There’s no question that those practical aspects of life are important, but I want to suggest that by prioritizing our gifts to God and his Church, we are shaped in a profoundly different way. The truth is that we are taught by our culture that we should usually be anxious about money. So, if we don’t look after ourselves and loved ones first, then we will be in trouble down the road. But I’m inviting you into a spiritual practice where we take a chance on God’s abundance and give to God first. And I suspect that, if we do, everything will be just fine. I’m not advocating reckless spending, but I am saying that in my own personal experience, whether it’s giving of my time that often seems in short supply or my money, I’ve never felt abandoned by God when I’ve decided to be generous. Indeed, when we are uninhibited in our generosity, we will find that, all along, we have always had enough.
On Sunday, you will hear more about why pledging is the best way to give to God’s ministry at Good Shepherd. Pledged giving can also be done in conjunction with a bit of plate giving each Sunday. But a spiritual reason for pledging is that we are forced to commit to a gift before a new fiscal year begins, rather than giving what we feel we can give at any particular moment. You can pledge online, although you may wish to wait until you have heard Sunday’s advancement presentation. A trifold brochure laying out our five-year plan and vision, a letter, and a pledge card will be mailed out in the next week or so. Even if you choose to pledge online, please plan to bring your completed pledge card to Mass on Sunday, November 13, Commitment Sunday, as a visible sign of your gift to God.
How much each of us is being called to give back to God is a matter of personal prayer and discernment. The classical Biblical standard of giving is the tithe, which is ten percent of one’s income. It’s not quite so straightforward, though. Is a tithe on income before taxes or after? Does a tithe include all forms of one’s charitable giving? These are personal questions for each of us to answer prayerfully. But the 67th General Convention of the Episcopal Church passed a resolution affirming the tithe as the “minimum standard” of giving.
As your priest, I cannot ask you to give without giving myself. As I have said before, I challenge myself to increase my pledge each year, and I have made my pledge this year. I invite you to consider joining me in making a tithe, knowing that all of our own personal circumstances are different. You may have a mortgage to pay (I do not), as well as children to care for (I do not). A tithe will look different for each of our households, and that is between each of us and God.
In addition to being a spiritual practice, giving helps support the work that we carry out at Good Shepherd in the name of Christ. I hope many of you will stay for a light lunch and advancement campaign presentation on Sunday after the Sung Mass. If you come to the 8 a.m. Low Mass, please come back after the 10:30 a.m. Mass! You will learn just how much money it takes to support ministry at Good Shepherd and why we need your help. You will also hear about our five-year plan for fiscal sustainability so that we can rely less heavily on our meager investments.
I hope you agree with me that God is doing incredible things among us at Good Shepherd. To realize our growing vision, we need to return what is God’s back to him so that it can be used in support of the gospel. Will you join me in tithing to support God’s mission this year at Good Shepherd? Thank you for your gracious support of this parish!
Yours in Christ,
Father Kyle