I would like to start this post by thanking Graham Campbell for his creativity in starting Dialogues in Progressive Christianity as a blog for The First Baptist Church of Worcester. I look forward to hearing the thoughts of our church members as we progress in our Christianity.
PROGRESS VS RECONSIDERATION
When I was a child, Sunday morning was special for me and for our family. At 9:30 a.m., my mother would call us four children to the front room and line us up for the ritual preparation of attending church. To each child she would ask:
“Did you take a bath last night?” Check!
“Did you clean your room?” Check!
“Did you make your bed?” Check!
“Did you polish your shoes?” Check!
“Did you comb your hair?” Check!
Mom would then personally ensure that the suit and shirt were clean and that the tie was straight and tied correctly.
Lastly and most importantly she would ask, “DO YOU HAVE YOUR MONEY FOR THE COLLECTION?
This last question was very important to us as a family and for the entire congregation of our church. We sat in the pew as a family of six, but, in fact, there were families, couples, and individuals who also sat in our pew, in the pew in front of us, and behind us who, during the worship service, were really all one family. This enlarged family was particularly noticeable during our greeting, our singing, and, particularly, in our giving of the Offering. During the Offering, the usher gave the plate to the first person in the row, who then handed it to the next person and so forth to the end of the pew. This was not just moving the plate to the end of the pew and getting through this time of the service. This was giving; this was an individual gift from each person, not determined by the age or amount. This was an individual gift to our church for the needs of our community and for the world. This gift was special.
Since that time as a youth, many things have changed. I do not always make my bed and clean my room before church; I do not put on a suit and tie; and I certainly do not polish my shoes before the church service. That is okay, but I have been bothered recently by my “gift” for the offering. Over the years, the weekly special gift has become a monthly check sent to the church office.
More importantly, for a very long time, I have considered the “Offering” more as an intermission, a time out, a seventh inning stretch. When the music starts with the organ or the soloist, they might just as well be playing “Sweet Caroline,” and I might be ready to look for the hot dog stand. But really, I am one who ignores the passing of the plate. When the usher comes to my pew, I have a tendency to “study” the bulletin, or look the other way, or act like I am intensely listening to the music. Occasionally, I might look at the usher, smile, and shake my head “no.”
Recently I have been considering the Offertory as part of the worship service. There are two aspects that I would like to consider:
- The importance of the act of Giving: This is a reminder of how important it is to think before coming to the church to bring my nickel or dollar for collection. And then to consider the importance of the Community of Giving: of receiving of the plate from a neighbor, or placing my gift onto the plate, and giving the plate to my next neighbor. It is not about the amount; it is about the gift.
- The importance of the Gift for our community: In one of Katherine’s sermons a couple of weeks ago, she talked about the Bible story of feeding the 5,000 with just 12 loaves of bread and drinks. The small amount of my dollar gift goes to feed those Worcester residents who might not otherwise have supper unless for Mustard Seed. On the last Tuesday of each month, a group of FBC members prepares and serves a meal for 250 men, women, children, teenagers, and families. Over the past 12 months, FBC has prepared and served meals to 3000 individuals. Over the past 50 years of FBC serving at Mustard Seed, we have prepared and served 150,000 individuals. If you want to be really amazed, consider the 50 years of Mustard Seed, serving the same number of meals 365 days a year, prepared and served by many churches and community organizations. That number would be over 4.5 million individuals. My little dollar in the weekly Offertory, with thousands of others in this community, has provided these meals.
The First Baptist Church is a progressive church, but we are a progressive church with a rich history. I encourage that we think about giving that nickel, quarter, or dollar as a part of our church community.
