Scripture: Leviticus 1:1-9 and 14-17
The message begins with Rosene telling a story of a favorite gift she received.
This first account of offerings in Leviticus is simply about being a gift, not something to clear feelings of guilt or forgive sins. Its only purpose is for the pleasure of and enjoyment of God.
Melissa recounts a custom within the Northern Cheyenne tribe associated with several rituals called the giveaway. The practice of the giveaway relativizes ownership. What you have is only yours in a limited way before it becomes a gift to someone else.
The burnt offerings, where nothing of value is left and the concept of the giveaway sound absurd in our capitalist systems. In ways, our time together on a Sunday morning is similarly absurd. We are wasting our time together. But what looks like waste is actually a gift of great worth.
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