Bodily Offerings

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Romans 12:1

The offering is a part of the liturgy that is noted by everyone, but little thought is given.  We tend to think of the offering only in terms of money and budget.  We reinforce that when we talk about how much is “needed” per week in the offering.  The reality is that the practice of financial giving to the Lord usually takes place at home when someone writes out a check or completes forms for direct deposit giving.  But all of those considerations have to do with money.

In Romans 12, St. Paul encourages us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God.  In baptism, God has covered over our sins and made us holy, not just our souls, but our bodies as well.  When we offer our bodies to God through our service, such sacrifices are indeed pleasing to God because our bodies were purchased and won by the very blood of Jesus.  Each of us has a body that is precious to God with which we can offer sacrifices that are acceptable to God through our varied service.

It is good that we have returned to the practice of offering plates being passed among the congregation during the worship service.  The next time this occurs though, take a moment to consider how you present your body to God as part of your worship.  We have more to offer than just our money, as return to God a portion of what He has given to us.  We also steward our bodies, our time and our talents for God’s purposes.  May the Holy Spirit make us bold in offering our bodies to Him as priests offer holy sacrifices to our gracious God.

Prayer – Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.  Amen.

Fraternally in Christ,
President Lee Hagan