Crippled Sacrifice
The essence of worship is sacrifice. That’s why the prophet Malachi criticized those who were bringing sick, blind, and lame animals to God as an offering. People were keeping the best for themselves and offering God their cripples. They were eating the choice food and bringing what had spoiled to the Lord’s altar. They were giving God their leftovers, like a dog under the table. This is unacceptable behavior -- it was then, and it is now! Crippled sacrifice dishonors God, no matter what form it takes. So rather than looking for those places where worship feels the most beneficial, we would be wise to search for those places where we are moved to be sacrificial, for the essence of worship is sacrifice. -- Friar Tuck’s Occasional Wisdom