Offering - Giving Our Best

THE KINGDOM DESERVES THE BEST

            A story is told in Persia of a king who promised to visit a small village.  In preparation for the royal visit, all villagers were asked to bring one cup of their finest wine and pour it into the village vat.  From the vat the king would drink as a symbol of his subjects having given their best in recognition of his lordship.

            The big day arrived.  In regal splendor, with a silver chalice, the king drank from the vat.  But to his horror, and the embarrassment of the village, what he drank was diluted wine…little more than colored water.  You see, every villager reasoned, “I’ll put into the king’s vat half water and half wine.  With all the other villagers putting in their best wine, the king will never know the difference.”       The problem was…every villager had the same idea!  The king was disgraced!

            Every Sunday we take a collective offering of our gifts as worship to our Lord.  I invite you to join me in giving a symbol of our best wine to the Lord.  Your tithe represents your best wine.  Pocket change or a tip would be like the diluted wine in the story.  Collectively let’s give a beautiful aroma of praise as we recognize the Lord is the provider of all we have.