Wednesday, February 22: Ash Wednesday

But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:3

Sometimes the news is bad, before its good. That is what a sage in my life once taught me. This passage, and what I intend to say about it, may be one of those times!

This passage is often used to support those who would say, our giving is between themselves and God. To do that with this passage is to miss one of the most important distinctions about giving in Jesus' time. First, it should be made clear there is a difference between tithes and alms. When I was in the Philippines recently this was lived out, in just about every church I entered. There were, in most, a board of envelopes with numbers, which matched with people, and it was called the tithing/pledgers board, and then a list of actual giving was literally put up and listed as well.

When this passage was written the tithe was expected, it was required of the faithful person, the first 10% of what comes to you. Alms, were what was given after that. The equalizer in the community was the tithe, everyone was expected to do that. The amounts would be different, yes, but no matter, everyone gives the first 10%. Alms on the other hand, was that given beyond the tithe, beyond the expectation, and you see why that might be as it is described in this passage.

For that, yes, you just give it. You don't make a show of it. In this ancient practice, this was the giving that was between you and God, alms, given above and beyond the expected giving, the giving that made you part of the community. Alms, true giving, started beyond what we do. Our tithe was the way we were accountable to one another in community. Alms was the giving above and beyond the tithe.

Somewhere we lost track of that. So, perhaps this Lent you might think about it. Most people don't even know what percentage of their income they are actually giving to the church and other charitable organizations. Maybe you could use this Lent to calculate that amount? And, think about the distinction of tithes and alms.

Lent is a time of honesty, and at the very least, we should be honest about the fact that the passage above does not remove the expectation of our supporting the communities of faith we call our own, but does reveal a way for us to give above and beyond that. This is really good news, but sometimes it does appear bad, before it is good!

— The Rt Rev Greg Rickel, Bishop of Olympia