The Rev. Tim Brown
Director of Congregational Stewardship Support
Are you familiar with the term “may rubric”?
In pastor circles, we talk about “may rubrics” when we’re talking about elements of worship that fit within the liturgical order of worship. You may do them, you may not. It just depends on the season.
Stay with me now … don’t tune out. There’s a point here, I promise.
Some “may rubrics” you might be familiar with are confession and forgiveness, or remembrance of baptism. These may happen, or they may not. Or the recitation of the creed. It can happen in worship — it may happen or it can be omitted.
But did you know that the offering is not a “may rubric?”
It’s not optional. It should not be omitted.
The offering is the opportunity for the community to respond to the good news of Christ heard in the songs, encountered in the Scriptures and preached in the sermon. It is a moment of grace when we get to give thanks to God.
Sometimes that looks like a giving of monetary resources. But it can also take on other forms. It can be a testimony from someone whose life has been changed by God. It can be a moment when people go to a station and offer written prayers of thanksgiving, or sign up to volunteer for an outreach opportunity, or give an offering to a special project.
With the postpandemic practice of putting an offering plate at the back of the sanctuary, or even in the narthex, and glossing over this important part of the liturgical ordo, we’re actually short-changing a key piece of worship: the opportunity to give of ourselves as a response to God’s grace.
What if there were stations set up around the sanctuary and, during the offering, people could do any number of the things above, including giving a gift to support the ministry of the church? What if brief testimony preceded the choir anthem at the offering?
Whether or not you pass the plate or have it in a static place (either is fine as long as it’s done with intention), providing the space in the liturgical movement for the people to respond to God’s grace is important as the bridge between the word and the meal.
We hear of God’s goodness. We respond. We internalize God’s grace in communion. We go to live it out. Rinse (baptism!) and repeat.
The offering in worship is not a “may rubric.” We cannot earn God’s grace, but we get to respond to it.
From the ELCA Stewardship e-newsletter Where Your Heart Is