Giving Back

Psalm 116:12-14.  The Message

What can I give back to God

    for the blessings he’s poured out on me?

I’ll lift high the cup of salvation—a toast to God!

    I’ll pray in the name of God;

I’ll complete what I promised God I’d do,

    and I’ll do it together with his people.

In today’s reading the psalmist asks how we should repay God for all the blessings we have received.   The images in his answer made me think immediately of the way we do church - offering communion, prayer and service to God, not as individuals but as a community.  

Consider communion.   It hadn’t occurred to me before reading this particular version of the psalm, but whenever I have the opportunity to preside at the Lord’s Table, when it comes time to talk about the cup I always reach it out toward the congregation as if making a toast.  When I distribute the elements and each person takes the bread I say to them, “The bread of life.”  When they take the cup I say, “The cup of salvation.”  I give thanks to God  for all the blessings I have received by gratefully offering a toast to life and health. This isn’t something I do alone, but always as part of a community.   Even right now, when we participate in communion in our own homes while watching a video recording, we are still doing this as a community, sharing the elements together and offering our silent prayers together.  

We pray together often.  During worship, of course.  At the open and close of every Board and team meeting and bible study and small group.  All of these prayers are different, depending on the occasion and on who is praying.  Some of us are more eloquent pray-ers, some are more emotional, and some can’t do words at all.  But all of us pray one prayer together, every time we worship whether in person or online - the Lord’s Prayer.  Even though we don’t all say exactly the same words as everyone else, this is the one prayer that binds Christians together as a community.

And service.  There are so many ways to be of service to our community, but as individuals and in coordination with others.  One of the services we do together is our annual commitment card.  Yes, part of it is our monetary pledge - which is an important way to help do the Lord’s work in the world.  But there is also a place for how we can serve the church in the coming year, whether it is by more frequent attendance, or helping out with the food pantry, or singing, or reading during worship or taking on the challenge of Children’s Time.   Although these may seem like individual efforts, we do them as part of the body of Christ, as God’s people.

How will you give back to God today?