Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[consume and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.. – Matthew 6:19-21 (NRSVUE)
How do you decide when and where to share your treasure? That was the basic question we discussed at confirmation class this past week. I had the youth write down three things that they loved and considered to be essential to who they were. I then asked them how they showed that love. In the case of youth, they don’t have a great deal of money, but they do have time, and so the greater part of their treasure is their time. From their answers we saw that it was a mixture of routine, passion, and setting priorities that allowed them to make the things that they love be central to their lives. We then talked about how money works in the same way. How we use our treasure of money (and time) shape who we are and what we love. Jesus says that where your treasure is your heart will be. Heart follows treasure, not the other way around. It takes priority setting, routine, and passion working together to make decisions that reflect who we want to be.
The youth then had the assignment of talking to their families about how their family makes financial decisions, particularly around generosity and where they give money. Does their family use priority setting (budgeting), passion, and routine to guide their giving? This is where the question of tithing comes in. The biblical tradition is that the first ten percent of income is to be given for God’s work. This is not easy to do. It requires budgeting and planning to make it work. It also requires a routine of regular giving. Honestly, I do not think it requires passion, though. In my experience passion is the result of giving regularly and finding the joy that it brings. Passion comes from the heart that follows the treasure.
There are some households in our congregation who give a full 10% tithe. Most do not, though. National averages are that Protestants tend to give about 2% of their income to church. Martin Luther is clear, in his treatise “How Christians are to Regard Moses,” that the full 10% tithe is not a requirement. That being said, it has been found again and again that those who do tend to take greater joy in giving than those who do not plan their giving or make a regular habit of it. This comes, again, from allowing the heart to follow the treasure, and not the other way around. The giving produces the joy.
As we prepare for our Annual Meeting this coming Sunday, discussions will turn to the proposed budget. One of the traditional commitments of St. Matthew is to give a full tithe of 10% of what is given to the congregation, sending it to the work of the wider church. This should be something that causes joy among us. Even with a challenging financial outlook based on pledges received, retaining that tradition is valuable. It sets our treasure where our hearts will follow: engaged in God’s work in the world beyond our own immediate concerns and interests. It is in following the treasure that our passion can be unlocked and our joy unleashed. It is a routine that we should not take lightly, but rather immerse ourselves in and let it shape us for God’s working in our lives.