[Jesus] looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them, for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had…” -Luke 21:1-4
Historically and biblically, the rule of thumb for giving to the church was 10% of the household income. The word for this was tithing. In much of Europe there has even been taxes paid to the government to pay for the operation of churches. This is how places like Notre Dame and Aachen Cathedral remain in good condition despite fewer and fewer active Christians. People can opt out of the tax, but in doing so, they are no longer permitted to do baptisms or weddings there. And, in many cases, they want the taxes to pay for the churches, because they take pride in the buildings even if they no longer practice the faith.
My seminary hosted exchange students from Hungary each year and one of the things they found most astounding was the idea that churches were self-funded in the USA. Courses on stewardship and “the spirituality of fundraising” blew their minds. Of course, people do give to churches in Hungary, but it isn’t in order to maintain the church, it is in order to care for their neighbors. (If we are being honest, it feels a lot better to give money to help people than to pay the electric bill!) One of the young men asked me how it is possible for churches to maintain themselves and still care for their neighbors. The only response I could give was to shrug my shoulders and say, “we do the best we can.”
More recently, as I reflected over 2025, I realized that in the midst of medical bills and college tuition and all sorts of unexpected things, my giving was not as generous as I would like for it to be. I’ve been distracted and not entirely, doing “the best I can” to support our faith community and the significant ways our church cares for our neighbors.
This may be true for you too. Life has a way of getting in the way of being generous. As we all prepare for the time of Lent, we are invited to pause and consider the ways we are practicing our faith. Fasting, prayer, and worship all turn our focus back to God. God is steadfast and peaceful in a way that much of our lives are not.
I would like to encourage everyone to set aside a few minutes each day to think about the ways that God has blessed you. Say a little prayer of thanks. If you are up for it, follow that with considering how you can be generous to your community of faith. Maybe you want to give more on a regular basis throughout 2026. Maybe you would like to just try out being more generous during lent or give a special gift for Easter.
I truly believe that St. Timothy does good things here in North Jersey. In addition to doing a lot of ministry, we host a lot of ministries. All of which depend on having a building (and, yes, that includes electricity) in which to operate and a congregation that serves.
Finally, I do want to say that God knows your heart and knows your income. God also knows how expensive it is to live in NJ! As shown in Jesus’s depiction of the Widow’s Mite quoted at the beginning, it isn’t the wealth that matters, but the generosity of the heart. Please don’t give up your own basic needs or go into debt in order to support any ministry. Just do the best you can. I promise you it is enough.
