Story behind the Song – The Offering

Some songs just “happen”.  They are a gift to the composer.  They come so effortlessly that the composer cannot reasonably take credit for them.  For me, The Offering is one of those songs.

 Starting in the mid-90’s, I served as the accompanist at my church for almost 8 years.  It was a position that I enjoyed thoroughly, and one of the benefits was that I could choose what I played for preludes, communion, postludes, and the offering.  I would often use those opportunities to play my latest compositions and see how they sounded in a “performance” setting.

 When I first started in the role, the piano was situated in one corner of the sanctuary, close to a side exit.  This allowed me to discreetly sneak out of the sanctuary, especially during the sermon in the second service.  (I didn’t see any reason to hear the same message twice!)  I would usually head to the choir room and play piano for 10-15 minutes, returning to the sanctuary just in time for the post-sermon hymn.

 On one occasion, as I was just fooling around on the piano, this wonderful melody just appeared, and as I set there, this song just….happened!  My brain was not consciously dissecting a melody or a chord progression….I just let my fingers go where they were being led, and I truly just sat there and watched it happen.  I walked back into the sanctuary and, moments later, when it was time for the offering, I played “The Offering”.  Since then, it has only changed slightly, so what is recorded is not significantly different than what was played on that day over 10 years ago.

 Whether a doctor, lawyer, businessman, or artist, we are all given gifts that we did not “earn”….we were simply born with them.  God smiled on us….we should be humbled by that thought alone.  For those of us in the arts in particular, if people actually like our work, we should be very appreciative.  If we do have any talent - and that is for others to decide – we certainly can’t take any credit for that.  To that end, “The Offering” is always a reminder for me to be thankful for whatever gifts I do have, whether that is in music, or just in life.

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