Saving and Sharing Worship Theme

HOOK: On the altar, have three large clear cups or vases. Leave one empty, one half-filled with colored water and the third completely filled with colored water. Where are the people in your congregation? They may find that they are full in one area of their life and empty in another. Are they trying to give out of their abundance or out of their emptiness? Are they saving rather than giving in their areas of abundance?

THEME: Sharing and Saving. The theme centers upon stewardship. What is the balance between saving for our own needs and sharing out of our abundance with others? This could be viewed as the balance between saving and sharing, both personally and communally, our energy, our time, our spirituality, our financial resources, our gifts, our opinions, etc. How does God fit into our sense of both sharing and saving?

SCRIPTURE: Ecclesiastes 3.1-8 (if not already used for another service)

EXPERIENCE: Have an interactive dialog with the congregation. Ask them where they are full, half-filled and empty, both personally and communally. What do they need to fill them? What are they able to share out of their abundance? How does God fit into the three categories? Where is God in their emptiness, full-ness and the in-between? You can have people write down their personal answers, however really think about people discussing openly about the places where they see the congregation. Where would the congregation like to share the abundance and where do they need to save to fill any emptiness? You could have people break into small groups to discuss these questions and others you would like to ask. End with intercessory prayer, lifting those places where the community needs to save and where they can share.

SENDING:
May God flow from our spaces of abundance as we share with others and may God continue to breathe life into us in times of emptiness. May we find the balance between saving and sharing and may we look for God’s presence no matter the circumstances. Amen.

By Becky Jones, Pastor