What do you think of when you hear the word “offering”? In a church context, we likely think of the money that is collected during worship. The reality is, however, that God has much more than money in mind when it comes to our “offering”. Listen to these words from Romans:
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you:
Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work,
and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. –Romans 12:1 (Message)
We are an offering.
For some time now I have been thinking about the word “offering”. Thinking about what it means for us when we come together for worship and what it means for us in how we think about and practice our faith.
Clearly, in the context of worship, when we receive the offering we are for the most part talking about passing the plates around to gather financial contributions to support God’s work through the ministry of the church.
To that end, there are all kinds of great stories that look to inspire and encourage us in growing in our financial giving. One of my favorites, and somebody around here reminded me of it not too long ago, is from my own youth and church growing up.
For us high-schoolers, at that time, the place to be in worship was up in the choir loft – and there was a pretty regular crew of us up there. In that congregation, an usher would come up and pass the offering plate among those in the balcony.
Now, Milt was a bigger than life usher – deep voice – a well perfected stink eye – and after passing the plate on the high school end of the balcony, it was his practice to take a quick accounting of what had been collected and on more than one occasion, he sent the plate around again with the iconic, encouraging words: “Dig a little deeper boys.” I always loved Uncle Milty (that’s what we called him – but not to his face).
One of the other stories I love is about a little Swiss church whose roof was falling down. This was around the turn of the 20th century. The church members held regular prayer services to pray for the funds to repair the roof.
In that congregation was an old man, well-known to be very tight with his money. He regularly attended worship, but would sit near the back and would sneak out just before the offering plate came round at the end of the service.
One Sunday, he was late in arriving and could only find a seat in the front. It happens that during the service, a piece of the roof fell and hit him on the head. Feeling spoken to by the Lord, he stood up and declared, “Lord, I’ll give £1000″—which of course was a large sum of money in those days.
Everyone was stunned silent – and then came the still, small voice from the back of the church: “Hit him again, Lord”!
Now, hopefully we recognize that our “offering” is about much more than just the financial. And that, for me, is really what is at the core of this morning’s worship with our confirmation students and for these coming weeks of Lent – to explore and consider the facets of the concept and practice of offering.
In confirmation, in preparing a video for today, we came up with two questions for the students to ask Gloria Dei members:
- What do you think of when you hear the word offering?
- And second, what does it feel like when you give?
In the video that the students put together, we hear words like its “our gift to thank God” in response for what God has done. It’s our way to support efforts that are important to us. It’s a way to help others and to keep our church healthy. It’s offering our abilities and skills not just in church but in all of the other places in our lives. It’s how we respond to what Jesus taught. We hear that our offering is about giving and thanks – it’s about support for the poor – and perhaps most of all it’s about love.
These are some of the ideas at the center of Paul’s teaching in his letter to the Romans – this morning we have heard these words as found in the Message paraphrase of scripture, Paul writing:
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. (Romans 12:1 – Message)
I really love this way of thinking – it’s the every day, even the mundane of life – all of it is worthy of offering to God – all of it is valuable and connected to who we are as God’s people.
This morning for our time of offering during this worship service – we will be inviting you to come forward to do one or more of the following:
Of course, you will be invited to offer any financial contribution you have brought with you today – you may also come forward and light a candle as an offering and as an act of prayer. You may also make use of the blank cards that you’ll find in your bulletin to write down any prayer concerns you might have for specific people or places or situations in the world.
And actually, I invite you, right now, to take out that card and have it handy.
For I would also invite you to use that card to write down something you would like to offer in the coming week. A place you’d like to do better in a relationship. Someone to whom you’d like to offer support of some kind. Or an issue you’d like to learn about or advocate for in our state or country. Or a faith practice you’d like to take on and try out more intentionally.
There are so many opportunities to respond to Paul’s encouragement to “place our lives before God as an offering”.
For example, it has been so disturbing to hear about all of the threats that have been made against Jewish organizations in recent weeks. It might make a difference to your Jewish friends or neighbors to share a word of support or to send a card to one of the local temples letting them know that you stand in support and against hate. The same could be said for our Muslim neighbors too.
Another example, take the time to learn about the realities of immigration and the pressures that are taking their toll on immigrant communities in Chicago and all over the country. There are new statements that have been offered by our bishops in response to recent events. What can we learn and what can we offer?
Another example, in these weeks before spring break, we will be gathering specific kid-friendly foods for a pilot program we are participating in with the Northfield Township Food Pantry. A program to supply “buddy bags” for food insecure students in our area over their week off from the meal programs they receive in school. A specific, concrete action to fight against hunger in our community.
And obviously there are many, many more ways that we can place ourselves before God as an offering in the week to come. What comes to mind for you? What might you offer to God this week?
Now, this is certainly not a revolutionary, earthshaking concept – but imagine the impact we could make if we each committed to offering ourselves to God in a new way this week? What a difference it might have on the friend we reached out to with words of support – or on the neighbor who is wondering where all the hatred is coming from as someone who is Jewish or Muslim or an immigrant – or what an impact for the family who will receive a “buddy bag” and the food that will tide them over, and act as a sign of love and support.
You see, we are an offering.
That is the way this relationship we have with God is setup. God has given us everything that we need – how we live, and how we care for all that has been entrusted to us is our offering, our response to God’s gift.
May we take to heart the words of St. Paul and place all that we do – our “everyday, ordinary life—our sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life”—may we take it all and place it before God as an offering.
Let us pray… Gracious God, We lift our voices, we lift our hands, we lift our lives up to You, we are an offering. Lord use our voices – Lord use our hands – Lord use our lives they are Yours – we are an offering. All that we have – all that we are – all that we hope to be – we give to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Rev. John Berg
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church,
Northbrook, IL