Offertory

Offertory Sentences

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matt. V: 16.
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name:
Bring an offering, and come into his courts.
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Psalm XCVI: 8, 9.
If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Matt. V: 23, 24.
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. Matt. VI: 19, 20.
He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver. 2 Cor. IX: 6, 7.
I have shown you how that ye ought to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts XX: 35.
Be merciful after thy power. If thou hast much, give bountifully; if thou hast little, do thy diligence gladly to give of that little. Tobit IV: 8.
Be charitable before wealth make thee covetous, and lose not the glory of the mite. If riches increase, let thy mind hold peace with them. Christian Morals, Thomas Browne.
Whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? I John III: 17.
Withold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee. Proverbs III: 27, 28.
Say to thyself, If there is any good thing that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now, for I may not pass this way again. The Greatest Thing in the World. Henry Drummond.
So then, as we have opportunity, let us work that which is good toward all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of God. Gal. VI: 10.
Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the prophets. Matt. VII: 12.
God is not unrighteous, to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed for his name’s sake, who have ministerecl unto the saints, and yet do minister. Heb. VI: 10.
Godliness with contentment is great gain, if a man be content with that he hath; for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. I Tim. VI: 6, 7.
A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. What shall it proﬁt a man, if he gain the whole world. and lose his own soul? Luke XII: 15; Mark VIII: 36.
Render unto God what belongs to him, for thou and all thou hast are his. Eliezer of Bartotha.
Let us offer up the sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of our lips which make confession to his name; and forget not to do good, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Hebrews XIII: 15, 16, abbrev.
Offer thyself unto God, and give thyself wholly for him, so shall thine offering be accepted. Whatsoever thou givest besides thyself (saith the Lord), I care nothing for, for I ask not thy gift, but thee. Imitation of Christ. Thomas à Kempis.
I will not offer unto the Lord my God that which doth cost me nothing. II Samuel XXIV: 24.
Christmas. And there came wise men from the East; and when they were come to Bethlehem they entered into the house, and when they had opened their treasures they presented gifts unto the young child, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Matt. II: 1, 11, abbrev.

Offertory Prayers

Almighty God, Giver of every good and perfect gift, teach us to render unto thee all that we have and all thatwe are, that we may praise thee not with our lips only but with our whole lives, turning the duties, the sorrows and the joys of each successive day into a living sacrifice unto thee. Amen.
We give thee, Lord, what is thine own, for all we have comes of thy bounty to enrich our lives. Grant us grace with these outward offerings to present ourselves willingly before thee, dedicated anew to thy service in the spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Affirmations of Faith

(For other affirmations see Tenth and Eleventh Services)

In the love of truth, and in the spirit of Jesus, we unite for the worship of God and the service of man.

Love is the doctrine of this church;
The quest of truth is its sacrament;
And service is its prayer.
To dwell together in peace;
To seek knowledge in freedom;
To serve mankind in fellowship;
To the end that all souls shall grow into harmony with the Divine,—
Thus do we covenant with each other and with God.

We avow our faith
In God as Eternal and all-conquering Love;
In the spiritual leadership of Jesus;
In the supreme worth of every human personality;
In the authority of truth, known or to be known;
And in the power of men of goodwill and sacriﬁcial spirit to overcome all evil and progressively to establish the kingdom of God.

We believe that God is Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
We believe that God is Love, and that everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.
We believe that God is Light, and that if we walk in the light we shall have fellowship with one another.
We believe that God fainteth not, neither is weary; he giveth power to the faint, and they that wait for him shall renew their strength.
We believe that to them that love God all things work together for good.
We believe that the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but that he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

We believe
In the authority of evidence:
In the supremacy of intelligence:
In the leadership of competence:
In the validity of freedom:
In the goal of commonweal.