“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in heaven and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.” (1 Chron. 29:11,14)
These words will be familiar to most of you. We pray this each week as the celebrant leads us in giving our offering to the Lord. To be honest, I have never thought much about this prayer that we pray each Sunday. If I’m really honest, I found this portion of the liturgy dull. That all changed as I re-read 1 Chronicles for my Old Testament survey course last semester through Gordon-Conwell. We were diving deep into the rule of King David. The David who defeated Goliath and danced before the Lord. The David who was also guilty of adultery and murder.
King David praised God as the savior of Israel and he praised God out of his personal experience of God’s compassion and mercy. It is out of this experience of gratitude that David, nearing the end of his life, gathers money, precious metals, and jewels for the building of the Temple. He knows that he will never get to worship the Lord in this Temple, yet he leads Israel in this call to give extravagantly for its preparation. It is in giving these abundant riches that he prays, “Yours is the kingdom, O Lord.” Each week we join King David in offering all that we are and have, not because of who we are but who God is. Like king David, we are recipients of God’s mercy and compassion. During our weekly worship we join with David in prayer as we generously give as those who have experienced God’s mercy and compassion. There is nothing dull in giving our offering to the Lord each week.
This first semester of seminary has re-ignited my passion to study the Scriptures. Yet as rich as my first semester of seminary was, I am even more excited to dive into classes that will intentionally incorporate the richness of the Anglican tradition. Beginning in the fall, Gordon-Conwell, in partnership with our diocese, will be offering one course each semester with in-person cohorts that will be taught by Anglican clergy. I am looking forward to continuing my seminary education paired with the Anglican formation that will happen as we worship, fellowship, and study together in person each semester. It is my hope and prayer that as God grows our hearts and minds through this partnership, he is equipping our churches to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19,20).
I hope and pray to see many of you in class this September!
