God, with the action of this offering we tell your story:
how you have dealt generously with us,
how you have met our needs,
how you have heard our prayers,
how your goodness is from everlasting to everlasting.
Bless these offerings which are given in the name of Christ, Amen.
God calls us to be generous
not when all the bills are paid
not when we have everything we need
not when we see our way clear.
God calls us to be generous now,
in this present moment,
trusting in God who is our Provider.
And so we give freely, as we have received freely,
we love fully as we have been fully loved.
Before the offering:
This is the time where we make our love visible
through the giving of our tithes and offerings.
Let’s give with cheerful hearts.
After the offering:
Generous God;
Over and over your grace sustains us,
over and over your love provides for us,
over and over your arm steadies us.
We give you these gifts,
with gratitude and joy,
thankful that you are God over all.
Amen.
We have the means to give,
we have the reason to give,
and there are many waiting for us to give.
Yet often, our hands hold back,
and we hoard what we have for ourselves.
God of grace,
help us live and give in your kingdom of love,
where there are no enemies,
only brothers and sisters,
and kindness is the air we breathe.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
God, it’s a small gesture;
pulling bills out of our pockets, writing a cheque,
arranging an etransfer.
It makes no sound as it drops into the offering plate,
or wings its way through cyberspace.
But it is the sound of our hearts opening,
giving you the fruit of our labour.
It is our collective offering of love,
a weekly deposit in the account of your faithfulness.
We do this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
We come to meet you Jesus
in this ritual of giving.
You gave your life for us,
walking the road to Jerusalem.
Freely we have received, freely we give.
We lay these resources at your feet:
our hosannas to the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Creator of this new year, and every year,
thank you for the changeable gift of time.
Some years slip through our fingers like too many beads to hold,
beautiful memories bouncing every which way.
Other years are like burrs in our hair, unwanted, uncomfortable,
and really hard to shake off.
We stand at this threshold of the old and the new,
hoping for a good year.
We all want health and peace in our time,
we want safety for loved ones,
food on the table every day and clean fresh water.
You are the Great Provider,
the Giver of all gifts;
your love the only true currency.
Thank you for putting money into our hands,
and so we freely offer it back to you,
for use in your service.
We do this in the name of Jesus, Amen.
God of great wonders,
we join with you in the joy of this season of giving,
You gave us a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.
You give us life and breath,
you fill the world with beauty,
our hands with bounty,
and our hearts with the desire to give.
Accept these gifts,
and ourselves in service always,
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.
I love to write and to lead worship! If you are finding my writing helpful, I would love to hear from you! Feel free to use or adapt the material here, it is all written by me. If printing material, please credit “Copyright Carol Penner www.leadinginworship.com” (and say whether you modified it). If publishing, please contact me for permission. Contact me at carol@leadinginworship.com
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