We Offer Ourselves

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I Chronicles 29:1-5, NIV

Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God. 

2 With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise,[a] stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities. 

3 Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: 

4 three thousand talents[b] of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents[c] of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, 

5 for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today?”

Just about every Sunday at our 8:45 service, three words are embedded in the Communion ritual: “We offer ourselves.” They reflect what King David asked the gathered Israelites in our Scripture reading, in preparation for building the temple.   

Solomon’s temple was legendary for its majesty, grandeur, and splendor. Imagine all the people getting excited about what they could do to help. Imagine the music and rejoicing and sheer anticipation of participating in something glorious. 

They were not actually building it: they were only gathering materials. But they were excited and grateful to be helping to create a place where people could worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

They knew that what they gave would be used to build a temple; we should know that what we offer is used, transformed, to build heavenly community.     

Why do we give? Sometimes, aware of God’s lovingkindness, we give simply because we have received. As we give, we grow by finding more areas where we can give. And in the amazing economy of heaven, God gives us back what we really need. 

We are called to make all of ourselves available. This is actually not about giving tangible items as much as it’s about yielding control. Saying “Yes, Lord,” saying “Have Thine own way,” saying “Everything I have is available for you to use.” Offering it all up. And each thing we offer up, day by day, helps to build a beautiful edifice to glorify God. 

When we come to church, let’s give our attention and involvement in worship: sing, pray, think about what’s happening, focus during Communion when the words are familiar. Do the bulk of your giving online if you prefer, but put something in the plate when it passes in front of you, just to participate. Just to be fully present and engaged.   

When we give of our time and energy, to our families and friends, to people we work with, to random strangers, if we do it in love it reflects the beauty of God. And all of this is information that you already know. 

But today I'm here to tell you the good news that our gifts, presence, time, talent, and witness do not represent the total of what God asks from us. 

We are called to offer up intangibles like our hopes and dreams and plans. Even better, we are called to offer up the shadows and the darkness. 

I said earlier that sometimes we give because we have received good things. But sometimes, my dear friends, we must give something to God because it is too much for us to bear.  I am not talking about light things; I’m talking about weighty and difficult matters such as childhood trauma endured; ongoing heartache and concerns about loved ones; rational fears about the precariousness of the world we live in. All this, and more, is too heavy for us. Let’s give them to the good Lord who loves us endlessly.

I have to say that this is not easy. We gladly give our money, but it’s hard to yield our fears. We willingly give our time, but it’s hard to offer up anger and resentments. We are generous with our energy and our talents and our expertise, but it can be so hard to give up our faults and failures and shame. Our imperfect parts, the weak and sin-stained and broken parts. God is calling us today, and every day, to offer up all.  

Often the longer we cling to a burden, the heavier it grows. Anything that we can't offer up will bind us, limit us, and keep us from being free. Yes, there are some things – maybe some memories, maybe some pain – that can be helpful to hold on to for a while, to consider them and learn from them (perhaps with the help of a good therapist) – but then let’s let them go, offer them up, and allow God to work. 

You may be wondering how, exactly, do we give up such things. It’s simple, but not easy. The first step is to recognize that something needs to be offered up. The second is to realize that it’s too much for you, and that God is eagerly waiting to help. The third is to pray. “God, I’ve been carrying this for too long. I need your help, please. And thank you.”

This is a gradual process. It’s not instantaneous, and the act of offering up often has to be repeated – it’s not “one and done.” We sometimes have to do this every day. For me, maybe several times a day. 

When we find ourselves thinking old painful thoughts, when we play scenes in our minds over and over again about what went wrong, let’s offer them up. Again, and again. Eventually we will find that growth and freedom have come like the morning. Slowly, imperceptibly, and surely. 

This is not a message to beat anyone down, or to make anyone feel like a failure; it’s a message of opportunity. This is the good news – the fabulous news – that our Lord waits to be gracious to us, and that unbelievable hope and possibilities exist for us. 

It’s a reminder that God gladly accepts whatever we offer up. Not just the clever, or the impressive, but the wounded and degraded and rejected parts of us. All of our grief and sorrow. God takes what we offer and embraces us at the altar, and then gives us back so much more. Isaiah told his people that the Lord would give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.  God transforms what we offer up—every fault, each fear, every pain—our Creator uses everything we yield to build a miraculous environment of glory.  Each trial, every failure, each disappointment, every shame, each offense. What has come to your mind during this sermon? I implore you now to offer it up. Give it to the Lord who loves you, who is saying “Please. Yield this to me. We can work on it together.” 

  Let’s offer up our hopes and plans,
 ambitions and desires,
 concerns about the future,
 disappointments and grievous wounds and deep anger,
 even our failure.

Will you join me? Let’s consecrate ourselves unto the Lord this day. The angels will rejoice, and the Lord will make something beautiful out of everything we offer up. 

I cannot say how long it will take, or how it will be revealed to you, but I believe this with all my heart: our Creator will transform every single thing that we surrender, and bring it to glorious, unimaginable beauty. The Apostle Paul said God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.

There may be something in your life that you’ve been struggling with for a long time, something that you keep going back to, that you can’t get over. With me, it was my failure to protect a loved one. I keep picking it up, and it seems to get heavier and heavier. Sometimes it’s almost too heavy to lift. So it’s time to drop it. Leave it in the dust at the foot of the cross. Turn and walk away. And the God of glory will transform it.