This is one of my favorite short stories.

A woman was out shopping one day and decided to stop for a cup of coffee. She bought a bag of cookies, put them into her purse and got her coffee. When she turned around to look for a table she saw that they were all occupied. And so she took the only available seat–directly across the table from an older man reading his newspaper. Seating herself in the opposite chair, she opened her purse, took out a magazine, and began reading while she sipped her coffee.

After a while, she looked up and reached for a cookie, only to see the man across from her also taking a cookie. She glared at him. He just smiled at her. And she resumed her reading.

A few minutes later she reached for another cookie, just as the man also took one. Now feeling quite angry, she stared at the one remaining cookie–whereupon the man reached over, broke the cookie in half and offered her some. She grabbed it and stuffed it in her mouth as the man smiled at her again, rose and left.

The woman was really steaming, as she angrily opened her purse to put her magazine away, her coffee break now ruined. And there, inside the purse, was her unopened bag of cookies. All along she’d been helping herself to the cookies that belonged to the man, whom she believed had been taking hers.

Many people feel just as put off as that fictional character was, when the church calls upon them to give. All sorts of thoughts can spring to mind, including, "All the church seems to talk about is money!" or "All the church wants is my money!" or "If I gave every time they asked, I wouldn’t have enough left over for my own needs." Like that character, I think that many people are under the impression that what they have is theirs, all theirs, and nothing but theirs. Let’s try to keep in mind who’s sharing with whom. If we really believe what we say, God–the one who created us and provides us with everything – is the one to whom we belong, together with all that we have.

That’s the point of stewardship pledge time. This time of year--harvest time--always is. It’s the time when we’re reminded that everything we have comes from God–our maker, provider and redeemer. It’s the time when we’re reminded that God gives to us freely, not only that we’ll have what we need, but that we’ll join Him in His provisions–to promote His work in this world. That’s stewardship–using what God has entrusted to us to further His purposes--in full recognition that we’re instrumental in accomplishing what God wants to do in our little corner of the world and beyond. As Americans it’s our most tangible expression of commitment to Christ, our most tangible expression of gratitude to God, of service to others and of trust that God will continue to provide for us. When, by the generosity of our giving, we put ourselves in a position of reliance upon God, it stimulates trust, the depth of our thankfulness to God and our joy in giving. It really does! And so it’s a cornerstone of spirituality.

I’m keenly aware that last year the average Episcopalian gave about $1,500 to the church and the average Episcopalian household in America gave $2,800. But I suggest the biblical tithe–10% of the net of what each household earns. Now I realize that this spiritual discipline of tithing is quite a stretch for many of us. That’s the reason that I heartily recommend proportional giving–giving a proportion of net household earnings–and stretching to reach the goal of 10% by increments over time. I guarantee that this stretching exercise builds strength–of trust in God, of service to others, of inspiration to minister, and, as with all growth in strength, in the joy of seeing what you can accomplish.

As the opportunity comes to pledge for 2006 what you intend to give to God’s service through the Church – trust God & Give!

Affectionately in Christ,