In the late 1800s, Lutheran women had small boxes to place in a special location in their homes as a visible reminder of blessings received.
Women would add coins to those boxes almost daily as they noticed blessing. These boxes became the origin of the annual Women of the ELCA Thankoffering service that we still hold in many of our churches today.
I inherited my mother’s storm jar, a ceramic jar with a candle and matches inside. During a storm, if you lost your electricity, you knew to go to that jar for light.
During our current storm, why don’t we find a box or an old jar from around the house (decorate it, if you wish) and then drop in coins whenever we feel thankful or hopeful about something.
If you run out of coins, drop in buttons (later replacing them with money). It will help us focus on the good–on the positive. After this is all over, we can bring forward our offerings and offer them during our Thankoffering services in the fall (or whenever we gather again).
This message is an excerpt from a Women of the ELCA blog by Janna Smith.
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