Sacrificing Our All
There is a nip in the air, bright lights are shining in many homes and a joyous spirit is present this Christmas season. Too often, we are consumed with selecting the perfect gift, spending money we don’t have to please our family and friends.
In Africa, the most important part of a Christmas worship service is the love offering where gifts are brought in honor of Jesus. Every person who attends one of these worship services comes forward to lay down their gift, whether on an altar, a tree stump or placing their gifts in a bucket. Churches gather in their offerings for the entire year during quite a celebration. The congregation gathers together to serve and worship the Lord then to share in the gifts presented for the year.
During one of these celebrations, I watched an entire congregation fall silent as an ancient woman came forward and placed her offering for the year on a tree stump. That offering was one ear of corn. What a celebration that took place that day!
This year, let us focus not upon the gifts we buy for others, but instead, upon the joy we can bring to the world by proclaiming this day a child is born…the baby Jesus.
May the verse of Scripture we meditate upon this holiday season be Hebrews 13:16, which says:
“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
