Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It is a day dedicated to be thankful to God for all his provisions and blessings.
When Christ came, he abolished all of the blood sacrifices. But he retained one kind of continual sacrifice: the thanksgiving. When the early church gathered together, it would offer its thanksgivings to God. Many different things were offered. Here are some of what the earliest writers in the church described:
| Offering |
|---|
| Giving of thanks |
| Gratitude |
| Prayers |
| Praise |
| Hymns |
| Blessings |
| A pure and contrite heart and mind |
| Service to others in the name of Christ |
| Glory to God |
| Firstfruits and tithes |
These latter, being of a physical nature, were often referred to specifically, but not exclusively, as the eucharist, that is, the thanksgiving. Here are some of the things that the early writers describe giving as part of the eucharistic tithe of the church:
| Category | Firstfruits and Tithes |
|---|---|
| Grain | raw grains |
| raw flour | |
| dough | |
| bread | |
| Beverages | wine |
| beer | |
| Dairy | cheese |
| milk | |
| Sweeteners | honey |
| Fruits | grapes |
| fig | |
| pomegranate | |
| pear | |
| apple | |
| blackberry | |
| peach | |
| cherry | |
| plum | |
| olives | |
| Oils | olive oil |
| ointment | |
| Nuts | almonds |
| Legumes | beans |
| Animals | poultry |
| meat | |
| Ritual Items | incense |
| Economic Items | currency |
Some of these were offered for various liturgical uses. For example, out of the sacrificed tithes came the bread and wine that would later be consecrated for the collective meal celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Similarly, some of the oil from the eucharist would be used in anointing services. Finally, the majority of the tithes and offerings went to feed the congregation and to support the poor and needy (including, at times, the clergy).
These days things are all a bit different. Many churches only collect funds and then have partnerships with third-party organizations that specialize in distributing support to the poor and needy (note: using a third-party helps eliminate moral hazards such as fraud and the dependency). While this may increase the “moral distance” between the giver and the recipient, let us always try to remain both grateful and generous.
On this Thanksgiving, let’s remember the sacrifice of Christ and why, through his blood, we only need to offer our thanksgivings, having been freed from our bonds. Let us be grateful. And let us continue to offer our eucharist throughout the rest of the year too.
Thanks, also, to the readers of the blog. You are appreciated.