Leviticus 2:1-10: a reflection

1“‘When anyone offers an offering of a meal offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it. 2He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. He shall take his handful of its fine flour, and of its oil, with all its frankincense, and the priest shall burn its memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD. 3That which is left of the meal offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is a most holy part of the offerings of the LORD made by fire. 4“‘When you offer an offering of a meal offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil. 5If your offering is a meal offering made on a griddle, it shall be of unleavened fine flour, mixed with oil. 6You shall cut it in pieces, and pour oil on it. It is a meal offering. 7If your offering is a meal offering of the pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. 8You shall bring the meal offering that is made of these things to the LORD. It shall be presented to the priest, and he shall bring it to the altar. 9The priest shall take from the meal offering its memorial, and shall burn it on the altar, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD. 10That which is left of the meal offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is a most holy part of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.

Among the sacrifices, the grain offering stands out because it involves no animal, no blood. It is an offering of fine flour, oil, and frankincense, the produce of the field and the labor of the baker, brought and given to God, a handful burned as a memorial and the rest given to the priests. It is, in effect, an offering of the fruit of one's work, the ordinary produce of daily labor, dedicated to God as a pleasing aroma.

Notice what this offering represents. The worshiper brought not a dramatic sacrifice but the plain fruit of ordinary work, grain grown and ground and prepared, and gave it to God. It says that our daily labor and its produce belong to God too, that the ordinary work of our hands can be lifted up and dedicated to him as genuine worship, a pleasing aroma. Not only the blood offerings, but the grain of everyday labor, could be brought to God.

There is something freeing in that. Worship is not confined to dramatic religious acts; the fruit of your ordinary work, offered to God, is worship too. The results of your labor, your daily bread, what your hands produce, can be dedicated to God, given back to him with gratitude as an offering. Bring the ordinary produce of your work to God, offer your daily labor to him, and let even the plain fruit of your hands rise to him as a pleasing aroma. Your work, given to God, is worship.

Lord, the grain offering was the plain fruit of ordinary labor, brought and given to you as a pleasing aroma. Teach me that my daily work and its produce belong to you too, and can be worship. Help me offer the ordinary fruit of my hands to you with gratitude, dedicating my labor and its results to you. Let even the plain work of my days rise to you as a pleasing offering.