October 1 began our Season of Stewardship here. Earlier in my tenure I gently probed the stewardship understanding of the parish.

No surprises.

We have a handful of parishioners who are Tithers and who really understand the meaning of faithful stewardship. Most don’t understand the challenge of faithful stewardship but are open to learning what it really means to live in covenant partnership with God in Christ Jesus.

And we have a handful of parishioners who have somewhat strong views about what I am going to call the “Anti-tithe.”

The “Anti-tithe” is the strongly held belief that tithing in itself is inappropriate.

The Episcopal Church, meeting in General Convention, has formally affirmed the Tithe as the standard of faithful stewardship for many, many years. Yet, there are those within the church who believe the challenge to Tithe is what -- Unrealistic? Tasteless? Mildly rude?

Stewardship is Responsibility-Taking. Stewardship is what happens after a person has intentionally entered into covenant relationship with God in Christ Jesus. It involves what I do with my time, my talent and my treasure. It involves these things because the deeper truth is that my time, my talent, and my treasure is in no way my own.

I have no time that is my own. I have no power to fill my body with life, or to make the sun come up to start another day. God gives me Time. Each day is gift.

The deeper truth is I have no talent that is my own. I emerged as a young man with a fabulous capacity to understand complex ideas, build a world with words, and connect with people. What could I do to generate these talents? God gives them to me. They are a gift.

The deeper truth is I have no treasure that is my own. I was born naked and hungry. I have discovered over the years -- beginning when I was 10 years old -- that people value my talent (which is not my own) and they value my time (which is not my own). In exchange for my time and my talent, people keep giving me money. My treasure is a gift. It is simply not my own.

It’s all a gift -- given to me by God who blesses me every day. All God asks is that I take responsibility for the life God gives me, and that I take responsibility for the covenant community in which I am planted.

Simple.

So, I keep the Sabbath. So, I use my gifts in ministry – that is in service to others. I tithe.

God creates us for a life of faithful stewardship. Simple.

Yet there are those, even in the church who believe the challenge to faithful stewardship, or perhaps more specifically the Tithe to be – what? Inappropriate? Unseemly? Off-putting?

I have trouble capturing the objection because in my experience the Tithe is so powerfully life-giving, how could anyone object?

Let’s remember what the Tithe is.

The Tithe is a spiritual discipline that involves giving 10% of one’s income to the support of one’s covenant community – that is, one’s church.

The Tithe is a tough challenge if one first comes to it as an adult. For children who are raised with the tithe it is no big deal. To return to God one thin dime for every fat dollar God gives just makes sense.

I know a number of faithful Episcopalians who were taught to tithe as children. I know a lot of Baptists who were taught to tithe as children. I don’t know any Roman Catholics who were taught to tithe as children. (If you were a raised a Roman Catholic and taught to tithe, please let me know!)

I think it is safe to say that most Americans were not raised with the tithe as a spiritual discipline. But then again, most Americans were not raised with any spiritual discipline.

Most Americans do not tithe. Most Americans are not Sabbath Keepers. Most Americans do not take responsibility for the quality of the life of their covenant community.

Most Americans eat too much, watch too much TV, don’t get enough exercise, carry too much consumer debt, and live lonely, empty lives.

I guess for me it comes down to this. I am not prepared to accept “as normative,” let alone healthy, the experience and practice of most Americans.

I will lead a faithful covenant community into a life of faithful stewardship. And that includes the Tithe. And Sabbath keeping. And gifted ministry. And giving support to others in a small group. And prayer. And Bible study. And sharing the story of the resurrection power of Jesus alive in me.

Even in me.