What do you say before the offering? I don’t remember learning about that in seminary. My brother was a member at Tallowood Baptist Church during the ‘80’s. He told me that Jack Taylor, a pastor from San Antonio prayed the offertory prayer one Sunday morning at Tallowood. Before he prayed, he said, “You who are not tithing: how does it feel to rob God? Let’s pray.” That is one way.
What did Paul do when he was taking an offering for the believers in Jerusalem? He reminded the Corinthians of the generosity of their neighbors to the north. The Macedonians let their poverty mix with gratitude and they gave generously. Amazing. Then Paul pointed to the gospel itself. Giving is finally about grace. By grace, Jesus who had always been rich, left the glory of heaven to be born in Bethlehem and work as a carpenter in Nazareth. How can we fathom the wealth disparity between heaven and Nazareth. Why did he do it? “For your sake . . .”
Jesus became poor for us. Why? So that through his poverty, we might become “rich.” But how? How are God’s people rich? Some are rich in money. Most Americans are opulently wealthy compared to the people in the world around us. Paul means more. Our wealth is not measured in money, but in grace. God has given us great grace. We have forgiveness. We have hope. We have joy. We have love. We are spiritually rich, because Jesus left the glorious riches of heaven. So how do we translate God’s grace into generosity? Through gratitude. Paul reminds us that God’s grace is not only ours to enjoy but to share. Will we?
