Tuesday, July 17,
2018
After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you
love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,”
Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then
feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. Jesus
repeated the question: “Simon son of
John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,”
Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then
take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. A third time he asked him, “Simon
son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a
third time. He said, “Lord, you know
everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus
said, “Then feed my sheep.
John 21:15-17(NLT)
As a child I didn’t have to
learn much in order to “participate” in worship. In the church of my youth the only times we
stood or uttered a sound was singing the hymns or an occasional responsive
reading. And the only other movement
that wouldn’t get me in deep trouble with Mom & Dad was the offering. Quite the contrary; I would get in trouble if
I didn’t
move to put in my offering!
As I grew up I began to feel
uneasy with all that sitting still. It’s
not that I had A.D.D., or was more squirmy than other kids, I just thought if
you were serious about worship it ought to move you. So, it became my habit to find any excuse to
move in worship services. One place that
afforded me the opportunity to express my love for God was the offering. I developed creative, meaningful ways to drop-in
my quarter as the ushers passed the plates.
I would toss, flip, or with an agonizingly slow sweep of my arm place my
coin under the paper money and envelopes taking as much time as I thought I
could get away with. Once I dropped the
coin in the metal plate from as high as my arm stretched; the coin landed like
a crack of brassy thunder in the quiet sanctuary. Considering the look my father gave me, that
move was never again repeated!
Now, there are just so many
different ways you can toss a coin in a bucket, so when my creativity ran dry
about putting my moves on the plate, my curiosity over why we even let go of
our coins weekly took over – literally; I began to obsess about what meaning
there was in giving to God’s plate, especially considering how many candy bars
I could have bought with all those quarters down at the Rexall Drug Store!
My mind is an
introverted/thinking machine, so I began imagining what God was doing with all
those quarters. One day the pastor talked
about the kinds of good things that were going on with all the other quarters,
and how pleased the Lord was with generous giving. He said our giving showed our love to God and
to others in need.
That was worth some investigation,
so I began to think about how God felt when he watched my quarters rolling-in…and
about what He might say to me. Some of
the questions that rolled around in my inquisitive wondering:
·
Why I deserved all the stuff I have…and life itself.
·
How much did God really care for me? (When that truth started hitting home, I began
dropping quarters with thoughts of thanksgiving for my dog, and Mom’s chocolate
cake, and Dad playing ball with us).
·
I dropped a few quarters that were attached to confession for lying
when Mom wanted to know who took that last piece of cake
Along with my thanksgiving
came wondering when (and if) God would ever answer some of my questions.
I don’t know when it began exactly,
but it seems so many answers I’ve gotten from God have come during the
offering. Here are a few of the things
He’s spoken to my heart:
·
I love you, too, son.
·
Yes, I care for you…and I love the ones you care about (and even the
ones you don’t!)
·
How come you doubt me so much?
·
I like it that you love me with faithfulness, even though you mess it
up pretty good sometimes (I distinctly heard muffled chuckling that time).
·
About those mistakes, son, those are the best times – when you come to
me and are all broken about it – and I forgive you every time…and then I show
you a better way. I love those times.
It’s hard to explain why God
chose the offering plate to speak love and faith into my heart. But I’m glad he spoke…and He’s still speaking. And when He does, it’s always a holy time.
For You Today
For some people you would think the
offering plate has a Surgeon General’s warning that it may be hazardous to your
wealth health. I prefer to think of that
time as catching up with so much I am not able to hear in the busy, clanging,
hurry-up of everyday life.
I love the offering plate; my
Father is there.
Go to VIDEO
[1] Title Image: Public Domain
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