A People Shaped By Thanksgiving
By The Reverend Dr. Andrew Grosso, Associate for Worship & Liturgy
There's a section of the rite for Holy Eucharist I believe often does not get the attention it deserves. I have in mind here the offertory. Too often, I think, we pass over this section of the service in a somewhat off-hand manner. We may think the collection of tithes and other offerings is nothing other than a means of making sure the bills get paid. We may even feel a bit uncomfortable making room for something as mundane as money in the middle of a service dedicated to the worship of God.
But in fact the offertory is an important and integral part of our celebration of the Eucharist. It's no mistake that out tithes and offerings are brought forward to the alter at the same time as the bread and wine that will be used for Communion. We present to God offerings of bread and wine, fruits of the art fashioned and refined by human hands, and we then ask God to bless them and transform them into vehicles of grace. Through the presentation of our tithes and gifts, we likewise give to God the offerings of our lives, the fruits of our labors and emblems of our livelihood, and ask God to bless them and transform them into vehicles of grace.
When we are diligent in worship and stewardship, we find God not only transforms the gifts we offer, God transforms us. Regular participation in the worship of the community slowly but surely helps make us people who are shaped by the giving and receiving of gifts, people who are conditioned to generosity and thankfulness. This is why the offertory is about a lot more than making sure we can pay the bills: the offertory is one of the principal liturgical means whereby we demonstrate our commitment to and investment in our willingness to be transformed into the kind of people God calls us to be. The offertory is that moment in the service when we bring before God the results of our efforts to be stewards of all that God gives to us.
Over the last few years, we've made significant investments of time, talent, and treasure in our worship ministries. Many parishioners have been diligent in their participation in public worship and fellowship. We've seen tremendous dedication and service from those who participate in worship ministries, and are grateful for the unstinting commitment of all those who help make our services possible-both those whose contributions are evident during worship services and those who make equally important but not always recognized contributions behind the scenes!
We've likewise invested significant financial resources to improving the spaces where we gather for worship. We refurbished several stained glass windows, reconditioned some of the furnishings and other appointments, and replace materials that were worn out and ready to be retired. Perhaps most notably, we significantly developed our capacity to make worship services available via digital media, little knowing when we did so how important this would become. It was because of the faithful generosity of many in our community that we were able to undertake these efforts.
Ready to Give?
But we do this not only for our own sakes, but for the sake of those to whom we are sent to proclaim the message of the gospel. Our practices of worship, of fellowship, and of formation are intended to prepare us to be the people whose lives bear witness to the exercise of thanksgiving, generosity, and reconciliation in the world. We are called, in other words, to help others recognize what it means to offer the fruits of our lives to God in the hope and the expectation that God will make us vehicles and ministers of his grace.
May God continue to bless us as we strive to be people whose lives reflect the glory, the grace, and the generosity we have ourselves received from God.
The Rev. Dr. Andrew Grosso
Associate for Worship & Liturgy