The act of thanksgiving was one of the key elements of the ‘offering service’ since the days of the Old Testament. The expression, “thank offering” or “sacrifice of thanksgiving” appears often in the book of Psalm and Leviticus. “Thank offering” involves four kinds of bread with 10 of each type. 36 out of 40 breads were returned to the person doing the ‘offering service’. He then had until midnight to finish eating all the bread; he had no choice but to share the bread with others. This was God’s way of teaching us how to give thanks through worship and share with others the gratitude. He was effectively telling us “This is how you worship” and showing us how to do it.
The spirit of the ‘offering service’ in the Old Testament carries on today in our daily worship. Starting from last week, we have been having five people give testimonies of thankfulness every Sunday. It is a perfect complement to our service. You are free to give any thanksgiving testimony. The time limit is one to three minutes per person. If you need more time, please let me know. We can work it out. When it is your turn to give a testimony, you can stay in your seat and speak through the wireless microphone. My goal is to have all of our church members participate in this thanks sharing. Beginning next week, I will randomly select 5 candidates and have them participate. Anyone can give thanks, so I think that even the ones who do not have faith yet can participate as well.
“We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds.” (Psalms 75:1)
Following the shepherd..
Pastor Jiwon Choi