The African churches I have visited have involved everyone getting off their seats, and dancing joyfully in a line to the front, where they drop their donation into the box or bowl. Music sets the pace, and you really get the sense of joyful giving that the Bible says God wants.
Switch over to a sunday morning in England- and I'm even talking about charismatic churches here- and it's a very different scene. The sung worship in some british services may be similar in style, but instead of the time of giving being a focussed and celebrated event, baskets or boxes are passed covertly along the rows of seats, so that people are distracted as little as possible from their singing.
I've got to admit, this confuses me.
God wants us to give joyfully! It's true that giving benefits those you give to, but in the beauty of God's design, I think that giving is supposed to benefit the giver as well. In Africa, there is room for this to happen. In England, I'm not so sure.
The formal, business-like, and perhaps taboo matter of giving money in the UK takes away from the physical action the possibility of really letting your heart rejoice as you do it; To rejoice that you have an opportunity to give something back out of all that you've been given. I love God so much, that I want to give Him everything, to make Him my Master. First, as the Bible and Church buth teach, that means giving Him myself. But compared to how much He's already given me... I want to give more! (I know, in a sense it's not possible, but I think you know what I'm feeling when I say that.) The basket being passed towards me on a sunday should feel like a release of pressure instead of a quiet burden.
I'd be interested to see a church service in England where giving is held as a seperate event from just singing in the morning. I'd love to see attention brought to the freedom it offers, I'd even love to see the worship band play background music with lyrics specifically themed around giving physical belongings and wealth to God. I'd love to see people be more consciously aware of what they are choosing not to keep for themselves, and then notice the affect is has on their emotions and entire lifestyle.
See another post about Worship...
Image Souce: http://www.moringa.org.au/Index.asp?pagename=--+HEAL+Africa&site=1&siteid=710
