“Freely you have received; freely give.”
(Matthew 10:8)
The life of Jesus Christ is the divine life incarnate in human life. As he gives himself to God on our behalf—and to us—the life of the Triune God of love is revealed to be a Gift-Life. Because Jesus gives us his own Spirit, our worship isn’t just a response to him, it’s a participation in his loving, self-sacrificial Gift-Life.
God calls us to give, he grants us the privilege of fellowship with him in a generosity like his, and he provides us the opportunity to give as an element of the liturgy. “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts” (Psalm 96:8). To come into his presence with an offering is an activity that corresponds with the reality of who the Gift-God is. Our other-centered gifts of charity and mercy reflect the glory of his being. “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7) because God himself is The Cheerful Giver.
So we give by faith and in the name of Jesus during our worship on the Lord’s Day: “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper” (1 Corinthians 16:2).
Our offering is a communion with Jesus in his grace: “See that you excel in this grace also… For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:7, 9).
Our offering is a token—a real token—of the offering of ourselves to God: “By the mercies of God… present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1).
Our offering is a way to express our allegiance to the one true God over against the false god, mammon: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24).
Our offering is a way to demonstrate thankful obedience to God who calls us to give: “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Psalm 50:14). (This aspect of thanksgiving is especially highlighted by the place of the offering in our liturgy, following the assurance of the forgiveness of our sins through the grace of God in Christ.)
Our offering is a way to bring the fruit of our lives’ work into our relationship with God, to submit our time and energy to him according to his purposes: “The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God” (Exodus 23:19).
Our offering is a way to give ourselves to the mission of the church, to the mission of Jesus himself, as our gifts (representing our lives) support pastors, missionaries, and other ministries as they proclaim the Gospel.
Our offering is a way to bless each other with practical help that resonates with God’s own love: “If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” (1 John 3:17). “Do not neglect to do good, and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Hebrews 13:16). Such gifts, given through faith in Christ to support each other in the church, are considered “a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18).
How might giving an offering “by faith and in the name of Jesus” be different from charitable giving that happens outside the church’s worship? How might “online giving” fit (or not fit) with this idea of a liturgical offering? Why might some offerings be unacceptable to God (e.g., the offerings of Cain in Genesis 4 or Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5)? What makes an offering self-sacrificial? Why would self-sacrificial giving be a cheerful prospect for Christians? What difference does being rich or poor make in one’s response to God’s call to give? What is the value of distinguishing between types of gifts like tithes, alms, or other offerings? In what practical ways can you prepare to participate in this element of worship each time the opportunity is presented?
