Eucharistic meditation

2 Kings 12:4: Then Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the sacred things which is brought into the house of the Lord, in current money, both the money of each man’s assessment and all the money which any man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house, let the priests take it for themselves, each man from his acquaintance, and they shall repair the damages of the house wherever the damage may be found.

As I mentioned in the sermon, this passage gives a great deal of attention to Joash's efforts to gather money for repairs on the temple. This gives me an opportunity to explain one of our liturgical practices here at Trinity.

After the sermon and before we gather for the Lord's Supper, we pass the peace. This is an ancient practice that both symbolizes our response to the preaching of the gospel of peace, represents our unity as we come to the Lord’s table, and affords an opportunity for us to be reconciled with brothers if that is necessary.

During the passing of the peace, we make the offering basket available at the back of the church so that you can leave your offerings there. This is not merely a matter of convenience. Bringing offerings is an act of worship, and it is placed after the sermon to show that it is a response of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord's word to us.

But the placement of the offering also connects it to the Eucharist, and that is the point I want to highlight. The Eucharist is primarily and essentially a gift of God to us; it is the Father's gift of His Son through His Spirit. But the very name Eucharist, which means "thanksgiving," shows that this table is also an occasion for thanksgiving and an offering of praise. By giving a portion of our money to the Lord at this moment in the liturgy, we are acknowledging that all of it is His, and we are giving Him thanks for all of it.

And putting the offering at the beginning of the Eucharist is a sign that our monetary offerings are acts of thanksgiving and praise. It is a sign that we give ourselves and our resources to the Lord through Jesus Christ. Our gifts are gathered together as a Eucharistic gift, and are offered with praise and thanks at this table, the table where God gives us His Son in the Spirit.

posted by Peter J. Leithart on Sunday, February 19, 2006 at 09:56 AM

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