When I was a little girl, I would watch as the offering plate was passed over me in church.  In the church where I attended, we put in our offerings during Sunday school. As I watched it pass over my head, I could not understand how putting money in the offering plate was giving to God.  I could be giving to the church or the pastor or the ushers but not to God. Then as I grew up and added a bit of maturity, I realized that I was giving to the Lord.  That fact made the money I put into the offering plate important to me.  I knew that the simple act of placing this money into the offering plate made my check holy.

Paul taught in II Corinthians 9:7, “Each one should give as you have decided in your heart to give. You should not be sad when you give, and you should not give because you feel forced to give. God loves the person who gives happily.”  It seems that the Christians who lived in Corinth were people who were always getting into trouble.  Sexual sins and unforgiveness needed correction.  Paul wrote to them to help with their problems.

One of the apostle’s concerns was the Corinthians’ giving to the Lord.  Paul helped them to see that they must give to help meet the needs of others.  At Special Gathering, a ministry within the mentally challenged community, our members–who are developmently delayed–carry a deep burden for the Haitian children.  When the earthquake came, they give generously.  Each Christmas, we give more than 45 shoe boxes stuffed full of toys, school supplies and toilet times for the Haitian families.

I love that God is practical.  Giving to him means that we give to others or we help support the functioning of the church. I was appalled when I learned that sacrifices to other gods are treated differntly.  Food items are placed in bowls and put out for the gods to eat.  Animals come and eat it or it is left to spoil or rot.

That isn’t the way we give to the Lord.  Also, God does not want us to put our money in a box and bury it and then say that we are giving to the Father.  He wants us to use the money we give to him to help others or to support the work of the Church.

The people in Corinth gave to the Christians in Jerusalem because they were hungry.  There was a famine.  Because it was an agragrian society, no crops also meant no money to buy food.

At Special Gathering, the offerings that we collect from our members help to pay for the county buses that bring people to church.  The members help to pay for our newsletter, and we help the children in Haiti.

Additionally, we help to support the work of The Special Gathering.  It has been fascinating to see how the amount of our offerings has grown as the level of spiritual maturity has risen in the lives of our members.

It is gratifying that we see that once again giving to God is different from other religions.  Our gifts are used  in practical ways.  Giving to our Lord makes our money holy which in turns makes the help given a holy blessing.