“Now the Lord called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock. 3 ‘If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord.” Leviticus 1:1-3 NKJV
“‘When anyone offers a grain offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it. 2 He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests, one of whom shall take from it his handful of fine flour and oil with all the frankincense. And the priest shall burn it as a memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.” Leviticus 2:1-2 NKJV
“‘When his offering is a sacrifice of a peace offering, if he offers it of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord.” Leviticus 3:1 NKJV
“Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them, 3 if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering. ” Leviticus 4:1-3 NKJV
God and Father,
There were regulations for those who followed You. Not to be sniffed at but for their good and to show other nations the character of God’s people and their worship of one God.
So, we still attend a place of worship and we still give offerings and it is still a witness to those who do not know You. But imagine if we still had to bring livestock for our sin each week! Or buy some on the hoof! No, as You promised You provided the perfect pure sacrifice for our sin (Hebrews 10:12-14). So we come to offer thanks for Your sacrifice and to worship You as we are no longer separated by sin. Jesus tore the curtain in two by His death (Matthew 27:51).
But we also need to bring our offerings as the children of Israel did, to provide for our Ministers and keep our buildings in good repair. Though we bring finance rather than fine flour and cuts of meat. And God no longer tells us what and how much to give – because he knows we can learn generosity from His Son.
Perhaps Sunday is as much about giving to You as receiving from You? And the Israelites were told only to give of their best. That pulls me up short.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Sunday 1st February 2026
A sobering song whatever age we are!
When it’s all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to live for truth?
Did I live my life for you?
When it’s all been said and done
All my treasures will mean nothing
Only what I’ve done for love’s reward
Will stand the test of time
Lord, your mercy is so great
That you look beyond our weakness
And find purest gold in miry clay
Turning sinners into saints
Hallelujah
And I will always sing Your praise
Here on Earth and ever after
For You’ve shown me heavens, my true home
When it’s all been said and done
You’re my life when life is gone
Lyrics: Jim Cowan