18-Jan-26 (John 1:35-42)

When people are curious about the Church and what our faith means to us, they almost never consult books, even those written by our founders or our current leaders. Instead, like those disciples in our passage for today, they look at what we're doing. The see what our faith means by what we do.
That's one of the reasons offering is important. It is a spiritual discipline of giving, but it's also a concrete form of having our actions speak for us. When we give to support the work of the Church, to work for justice and peace, to help those in need, to visit the sick and dying, we show God's love to the world in concrete action.
As the deacons come forward to take up our offering for today, consider your part if doing what we say.

Prayer:

Please join me in a spirit of prayer.
God, who is the giver of all good things, and one who loves all of us completely and without fail, help us, in our actions to speak your love into this world.
May our actions be signs of your grace.
May our offerings be put to good use to those ends.
We pray in the name of Jesus, our Lord, Amen.