As we continue our examination of the Service of Holy
Eucharist in the 2019 Book of Common Prayer (BCP) we transition from The Peace
to The Offertory. Having reconciled with God and our neighbor we are then
invited to offer our sacrifices to God.
The Offertory
The Celebrant may begin the Offertory with one of the
provided sentences of Scripture.
During the Offertory a hymn, psalm, or anthem may be sung.
The Deacon or Priest prepares the Holy Table for the celebration.
Representatives of the congregation may bring the People’s offerings of bread
and wine, and money or other gifts, to the Deacon or Priest.
The People stand while the offerings are presented. The
following may be said.
Celebrant: Yours, O
Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the
majesty: for everything in heaven and on earth is yours; yours is the Kingdom,
O Lord, and you are exalted as Head above all. All things come from you, O
Lord,
People: And of
your own have we given you.
1 Chronicles 29:11, 14
The Offertory begins with the Celebrant giving one of 20
sentences of scripture – 4 from the Old Testament and 16 from the New
Testament. Each of these sentences reminds the worshipers that it is God who
provides everything that we have, and it is out of our gratitude that we return
to God a portion of what He has given us.
The Offertory, of course, is rooted in the offering of
sacrifices required in the Torah. In the Torah, the law demands that the
Israelites return to God 1/10th (a tithe) of all that they receive. Leviticus
27:30 states: “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of
the fruit of the trees, is the Lord's; it is holy to the Lord."
It is unclear whether or not the New Testament continues the
same tradition of the tithe. However, what is crystal clear is that St. Paul
lays out sacrificial generosity as the standard: “Whoever sows sparingly will
also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
In the offertory, the worshipers are invited to place
offerings of their treasures in the offering plate but this is not the only
thing that we are to offer up. In fact, it is our hearts and souls that the
Lord desires and our tithes and offerings are but the outward expression of
that interior faith.
I pray you all a very blessed 5th Sunday after Epiphany!
1 comment:
Indeed our offerings are an outward expression of our interior faith. We called to offer our time, our talents and our treasure. The old statistic is that the average church goer gives 1% of their income to the church. The biblical is 10%. The modern tithe has been set at 5%. One need only establish the percentage of one's giving by dividing the giving by one's income before or after taxes to see how one measures up. One's net worth might also be considered. Or one might ask how much is a reasonable amount to gift to the church each week. $1, $5. $10, $20, $30, $50. $100. etc.,.
How will God judge our paltry giving on the last day?
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