DIVINE WORSHIP

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 72, Issue 6242, 14 June 1946, Page 4

DIVINE WORSHIP

SERIES OF ADDRESSES BY REV. M. G. SULLIVAN THE OFFERTORY The Rev. M. G. Slullivan is giving a series of addresses on worship. The following is the fourth of the series delivered in St. John’s Church on Sunday evening, when the significance of the offertory in relation to worship was dealt with. Taking as the basis of his address, words from the Book of Common Prayer, “And here we offer and present unto Thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to a reasonable, Holy and living sacrifice unto Thee,” Mr SUllivan r j said:—‘“‘This is the fourth of a series I am giving on the general subject of worship. We have dealt with the idea of worship, and now we are considering the various aspects of it, and especially those features of it known to us in the struct are of Matins and Evensong. We have discussed the hymns, the music, the canticles, then (the Prayers, and to-night I want to talk about the offertory. It is quite a coincidence that this topic should come be fore us on parish Sunday, but candidly, I am glad of the opportunity.

Let us realise at once that what we call the collection is only part of that offertory. No authority is given for us to pass round the plate at any service except Holy Communion—note the rubric in the Prayer Book. In that great sacrament <the offertory means the presentation of the bread and wine as well as the alms.

These elements are ordered by the rjibric to be provided at the expense of the churchwardens, that is the parish. There was a day when these officers marched up and down the aisle with these gifts, and on behalf of the people presented them to the Minister. Observe the purpose of this. He in turn then took them, offered them to God—who, as it were, blessing them, gives them back to us as vehicles of grace. There is great symbolism, and indeed a great human touch in this dramq. The ingredients of a simple Gallilean peasant’s meal were thus taken to be perpetual reminders of the love of God and the sacrifice of His Son. I should like now - occasionally to see the churchwardens advance to the Holy Table, bearing their gifts, and for us to know that these things which are being offered are indeed to be blessed and used by God, and then used by us. In that spirit we present our alms—originally intended, mark yc*u, for the relief of the poor and needy—nothing to do with the expenses and maintenance of the church.

But times and manners change. We take up the collection, as we style it, at one and all services- Our money, so given, is necessarily used for all general purposes. The tragedy is, that our view of this part of Divine Service (just as much a part as hymn singing or praying), has become hopelessly distorted. What do we imagine we do when we slip a coin into the plate? 1. Are we paying in an act of vague charity? E. Are we paying for something—we are not sure what—under the general heading of church expenses? 3. Are we thus occasionally and spasmodically contributing to the payment of a clergyman and the maintenance of the church in this district—both to be used when we feel like it—especially for weddings and funerals?

4. Do we feel—even churlishly— «as the plate passes before us—“here is the church asking for money again”? 5. If we don’t feel these things, don’t we hear them ad nauseum from that dubious authority, ‘the man in the street.’ If so, what is the answer ?

Surely our whole attitude towards money is bound up in this. In church matters especially, we try to spiritualise it away—pretend it is not necessary. We all feel that somehow money and God don’t mix. That is so because we all love money—which affection, St- Paul reminds us, is the root of all evil.

because we know in our hearts, so mtuch of it i-s wrongly gained. And every time we offer something to God, He, as it were, inspects it. This is what we lay before Him, and He knows and we know:—whether it worthy, or just an odd coin we won’t miss; He knows and we know—how we earned it; He knows and we know—how often we give. And if we are uncomfortable, w ( e soon make excuses, and indeed become righteously indignant. The root meaning of the word ‘religion’ is duty—obligation—a binding.

We have completely missed that idea—we honour God when and how we feel like it—it is a matter of mpod—of temper. It is time we learnt that it is a matter of duty. As it is with worship—and I make no apology for saying so—so it is with giving. I am not pleading for my stipend, or for enough to pay a curate, or to paint the Parish Hali, or to concrete a few paths. Let us get out of that category altogether and finish once and for all this patronising attitude towards the finances of the church—almost as if we were helping a pariah or a leper. 'Giving is a religious act—our gifts go direct to God for the extension of His Kingdom—-tp enable us all—not only the parson—to continue Our Lord’s saving work, here in this small corner, and indeed throughout His Holy Catholic Church. Remember the law of God is the law of love, and the great sin of the world is self-centredness. Let us apply that to our giving.

Let me call your attention to that portion of the great Prayer of Oblation which I used for my text. “And here we offer ourselves, oiur souls and bodies”—That is what we should do at every service of the church. The money we give is a symbol of that self oblation. Give with that idea in minds and watch the effect on your giving as time goes by—< watch too the effect it must have on the way you earn that money—if sincerely and honestly, you so think, when called upon to give to God. u Yes, and there we link with all men and women to-day throughout the world, who depend on our bounty and Christian love—the millions in Europe who face famine the old world looking* to the new once again to redress the balance. What we give in this small place for work we see and value is an earnest of what we can give in time and money and gifts to the w*ork we cannot see.

Observe how the offertory is dedij-

,cate<J to-night, and so think and pray. The key words are tremendous souls, bodies.

ils that qjr true offering? To-day is Whitsunday, and our thoughts centre round the great plea —“Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire.” When we pray that we had better know what we are about. All we do and say in God’s name is prompted by the Holy Spirit. For example, we are distressed about some special fault we ask His aid to overcome it.... Whereupon He tells us that our real trouble is cu% self complacence—oui- self reliance, and if it is help we seek, He will rouse us from these. But we do not want that at all. Indeed our chief reason for wanting to overcome that special fault was that it disturbed our self complacence, which we hoped, after a little moral effort, to enjoy once more. He tells us again and again that we deal in symptoms always—He diagnoses the whole disease. We prefer our way to God’s. It is a long call from teaching about the Holy Ghost, to our giving to God—think you. Think again, and remember the widow’s mite.