Sunday is Stewardship Sunday at our church.  For those of you who are not a part of the LPC family or maybe not much familiar with the ways of churches, it is the day when we make a promise to support our church’s work financially throughout the coming year, in this case 2019.  We pass out pledge cards for people to complete and return.  Many of us will list a specific dollar amount and how we intend to make our payments – weekly, monthly, annually, etc.

Outsiders tend to find the entire process strange if not offensive.  They are correct.  It is strange and offensive.

Some of our friends in other church traditions don’t like the pledge card part of our process, and some of our faithful and generous members quietly decline to participate in the pledge card system. They find it strange, if not offensive.  I can see their point. But, come on, it’s just the way we do things.

The strangest part of stewardship, pledge cards or not, is that it works.  The most offensive part of stewardship is that God requires it and refuses all our suggestions to make the process more efficient and bit fairer.

I know the difference, but in so many ways stewardship is just voluntary taxation and it is taxation without much representation. The Old Testament standard, affirmed, if not required, by the New Testament, is that God’s faithful people give up at least 10% of their income – voluntarily – to be used by the church for the work of mission and ministry to the glory of God. 10% of our income. Out churchy word for this tax is “tithe.” Net or gross is not specified, and it probably doesn’t matter.  It’s still at least twice the rate of Pennsylvania’s state income tax, and a bigger bite out of my paycheck than what they take for Social Security. No deductions, no exemption, no tithe credits for buying a new Prius.  At least 10% of what I make.

At least 10% of our income – voluntarily – to be used by the church for the work of mission and ministry to the glory of God. Wisdom is required, but I am not allowed to pout, complain, or withhold, because my feelings are hurt or “they” didn’t do it the way I thought they should.

To top it all off, God says the payment of this tax should come first; I don’t get to pay my pledge after I see what’s left at the end of the month.

Rightly so, we remind ourselves that tithing in the church is voluntary.  It’s personal.  We don’t publish a list of who gives what.  And do circumstances sometimes come crashing down, circumstances that send our personal lives and finances into chaos?  Of course. The Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Decide in our hearts.  We don’t have to pay this strange and offensive tax.  You can’t buy your way into heaven or into friendship with Christ.

It is a temptation, always, to think we might do better things with our money.  That’s usually a lie. It’s sometimes true that God might lead us to decide in our hearts that the best we can do right now is less than a tithe (or maybe it’s more).

But don’t decide not to give, or not to give very much, too quickly.  My encouragement?  Try the tax.  As strange and offensive as it can be, it brings so much joy and so much good into our lives and into our world.  And, after all, in his Word, God says it is what we ought normally to do.

See you Sunday!