Worship Through Giving?

Think with me for a moment about that family gathering you have each Christmas. The living room is loud with the excited voices of the holiday. The smells of holiday foods fill the air. Now, it is the time everyone has waited for—the time to open gifts. Normally, the giver takes a gift and gives it to the proper recipient. While waiting for the response of the recipient, the giver’s excitement wells up inside of him because he has joyfully anticipated the moment when he would have the opportunity to give the gift—the gift he has wrapped in the best paper with the best trimmings. Once the recipient opens the package and has that welcomed grin of appreciation on his face, the giver’s heart is overjoyed as well.

Now, think about a different scenario. The giver simply brings a gift without even writing the name of the recipient on it. It is not even gift-wrapped. The gift is tossed onto the table while the giver continues to talk to those who are around him. The recipient is appreciative of the gift, but is heart-broken due to the haphazard spirit of the giver.

During offertory times at our churches, we have an opportunity to give back to the Lord a portion of that in which He has already blessed us. This is a part of our worship gatherings, so it should be an act of worship. Some bulletins even say, “Worship Through Giving” or Worship with Tithes and Offerings". But, my question becomes this: Are we really worshiping during the offertory time?

I am afraid that our times of offering have simply become an opportunity to simply catch up with one another or daydream about what’s coming later. When that happens, we are much like the giver with the haphazard approach. The Apostle Paul tells us, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). As we come to times of offering, it is a time for us to bring our prepared offering to the Lord as an act of worship--joyfully excited about the gift we are giving to Him. Moreover, offertory is not a time to simply throw whatever is in our pockets at the time into the plate. As we approach the time of offering, I want to encourage us to bring our prepared gifts (that which the Lord has set in our hearts beforehand) as well as ourselves. As the offering is being collected, I want to encourage us to offer ourselves to the Lord and pray that His Kingdom will be furthered by the money being given. I also like to pray that God would provide every need of His Church as well as those who are giving according to the riches of God through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

You see, the time of offering is not an addendum to the service. It is an important time of worship--not a commercial break. As we joyfully look forward to bringing our gift to the Lord, our hearts will view the time of giving differently. As we pray for God’s Kingdom to be furthered through our gifts, our hearts will match that of the heart of God. Then, we can truly say that we are worshiping through giving.