Just Say Yes! to the Tithe

Luke 11:37-44

Rev. Monte Marshall

 

This morning we begin week two of our annual emphasis on giving.  The theme is Just Say “Yes.”  Today’s focus is Just Say “Yes” to the Tithe.  Let’s pray.  PRAYER.

Pastor Andy Langford tells this story about a woman named Edith who was a member of his first congregation:  “Edith was born in a family of tenant farmers and worked at a textile mill all her life. She never owned a car. At her retirement, Edith’s wealth consisted of a four-room mill home, plus her Social Security check. Each month when she received her check, Edith cashed it and walked from store to store paying her bills. Each month, Edith also gave me ten percent ($40) of her Social Security check ($400) in cash to place in the offering plate at worship. One month, I took Edith’s gift back to her, saying, ‘Edith, you need this money more than our congregation.’ Edith then told me. ‘If you won’t take the cash, I’ll just send it straight to the church treasurer.’ She continued, ‘I’m not giving this money for our church, or for you, or for me, but for God.  It’s my way of saying thank you to God.  Don’t take away my chance to give.’”Pastor Andy concluded: “’I was wrong; Edith was right.’”[1]

So Edith’s story raises some questions:  Why the ten percent?  Why did Edith give that particular percentage of her meager income to the church each month?  Why didn’t she give two percent, or three percent, or eight percent, or twenty percent?   Why didn’t she vary the percentage from month to month based on her ability to pay?  Why did she even calculate a percentage at all?

Well, there is one simple answer to all of these questions.  Edith gave ten percent of her income to the church because Edith just said “yes” to the tithe.

Now for those of you who don’t know, the tithe is a biblical concept that calls for a tenth of one’s yearly income to be given specifically to further God’s purposes.  Originally, the tithe was taken from things like grain, fruits and animals, but in the Christian church of today, the tithes of the people generally come in the form of money that’s given to support the church’s ministries, including such things as staff salaries and benefits, utility costs, building maintenance, missional giving and more.

Now to be honest with you, when we take a look at the scriptures, it’s hard to get an exact fix on the tithe.  As one commentator notes, “tithing was understood and practiced differently at different times and localities throughout the biblical period.”[2]  Most often, the tithe was used to support priests and places of worship like the Temple.  The poor were also to be supported by the tithe.  In fact, in one of the tithing traditions from the Hebrew Bible, the tithe of every third year goes to the poor.

In the New Testament, the tithe is barely mentioned at all, but it is mentioned.  This morning’s scripture reading from Luke’s gospel is a case in point.

In the story, Jesus is dining at the home of a Pharisee.  The Pharisee is surprised that Jesus breaks the rules of ritual purity by failing to wash in the prescribed manner before eating.

Jesus then offers a blistering critique of pharisaical hypocrisy in which the focus is placed on the external cleanliness of things like cups and dishes, while the inward condition of the human heart that reveals character and shapes relationships with others, is neglected.  Jesus then makes a comment about the connection between “cleanliness” and giving to the poor:  “But if you give to those poorer than you, all things will be clean for you.”  In other words, what matters to God is not the ritualistic cleansing of external things, but our giving to the poor. 

It’s in this context that Jesus addresses the tithe.  He begins with a curse:  “Woe to you Pharisees!  You pay tithes on mint, rue and all the garden plants, while neglecting justice and the love of God.  These are things you should practice, without omitting the others.” 

So Jesus critiques the practice of tithing when it’s used as a substitute for the practice of “justice and the love of God.”  In other words, there’s a problem when we give 10% to the church but fail to give to those poorer than ourselves. 

But this is not the end of the story.  It’s also true that in Luke’s story, Jesus affirms the practice of tithing when accompanied by acts of justice to the poor that reflect the love of God.  “These are the things you should practice without omitting the others.” 

So here’s the point:  While affirming the tithe, Luke’s story won’t let us forget that when it comes to justice, generosity can’t be reduced to a formula or simple percentage.  Luke’s story won’t let us forget that when it comes to justice, the tithe is not the ceiling, but the floor; not an end point, but a beginning point; not the maximum allowable, but the minimum.  Luke’s story won’t let us forget that when it comes to justice, giving is best modeled by the open-handed and open-hearted generosity of Jesus that refuses to be bound by a simple 10% calculation.

Nevertheless, Luke’s gospel and several other New Testament texts, affirm the tithe.  And this explains why, in the words of Bishop Robert Schnase:  “The early church practiced the tithe, and so have Christians in every generation since.  John Wesley tithed and expected early Methodists to give regularly and generously at every class meeting and chapel service.  Their gifts were meticulously recorded so that people could hold themselves accountable to the practice of giving.”   And now, to the long list of generous saints through the ages, we can a woman named Edith with her $40 tithe to the church each month.[3] 

And there are still others closer-to-home who just say “yes” to the tithe.  For example, Lana Potts, the Director of Development and Congregational Giving for our church, had a conversation a few weeks ago with Cynda Reznicek of our congregation.  The topic was stewardship.  Cynda had her own story to tell about the tithe.  And as she shared her story, some deep and unexpected emotions were triggered that surprised her.  At Lana’s request, Cynda wrote out her story and since she is out of town today, she’s given me permission to share it with you.  She writes:

“One of the things I recall over the years is talking with my Mom about tithing.  Mom said that growing up in church, she was taught by her parents that it was important to tithe.  She tithed faithfully the whole time she lived at home, starting with her allowance, then her first job, and so on, until she got married. 

“When she and dad got married, he came from a different tradition and they could barely make ends meet for year so they didn’t tithe.  I remember Mom telling me that after Dad died, the first thing she did for herself was to return to tithing.  It somehow made her feel like she was back to doing what felt right to her.  Mom is going strong at age 78, and I have no doubt that she still tithes both her time and her talents.

“I can say that I was never as thoughtful…or as faithful about tithing as my Mom.  Then I got married, and like my parents, my husband and I were just trying to make ends meet for many years.  Socks and underwear and food on the table and bills were our top priorities.  However, each year we would pledge a little more and a little more, with ’little’ being  the operative word.  Over the years, we talked more and more about trying to tithe in the way I was taught my mother. 

“When Steve died about a year and a half ago, I had to look at my finances.  Like my Mom, one of the first things I did was to make a decision to tithe.  For me, it made me feel like:  “O.K., I can do this.  I can make it.”  But it also freed me financially, as funny as that sounds.  I have fun things I like to do with my money, like travel and gardening and buying good wine.  But, when I start with my tithe to the church and then put those others afterwards, it gives me joy and a sense of peace.  When I tithe first, it allows me to really enjoy the money that is left for me.

“Lana, I never thought I would get so choked up to talk to you about tithing.  I’ve always thought of it as a really private decision.  I probably got emotional because it is so core to my belief in putting God first and the other pieces will fall into place. 

“I wasn’t raised in a tradition of ‘testifying.’  It feels good, after all of these years, to be able to make a decision to tithe.”[4]

So this is Cynda’s story, but there are others among us with their own stories of joyful generosity to tell.  This morning we’ll hear from Justin, Erika and Blaine Steiner.

WITNESS

On a personal note, I think it important for you to know that Laura Jean and I tithe.  But this hasn’t always been the case.  There have been years in the past when we’ve struggled financially and didn’t tithe.  Our choice in those circumstances was to gradually increase our giving until we finally reached the tithe. 

And I’ve got to tell you, I’ve experienced some guilt in the past over my failure to tithe.  But what I’ve tried to do with varying degrees of success is turn my attention away from guilt and toward gratitude.  Guilt, for me, is often debilitating and it certainly doesn’t lend itself to joy.  I take encouragement from Edith’s words to her pastor:  “‘I’m not giving this money for our church, or for you, or for me, but for God.  It’s my way of saying thank you to God.’”[5]

Come to think of it, even during those times when I’ve haven’t given 10% of my income, I’ve continued to just say “yes” to the tithe by keeping it as the goal toward which I’ve moved. 

And now, that we’ve reached the goal, I say:  “Thank you, God!”  And then I pray for the generosity of spirit that moves beyond the tithe to encompass “justice and the love of God.” 

Given my own story, I stand before you today without reservation to offer an invitation:  Just say “yes” to the tithe.  May God’s will be done.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.