In the late nineteenth century Scottish missionaries established churches in Ghana that still worship in the same formal way as those dour Scots of yesteryear, except for one thing. Those canny Scots were smart enough to allow one typically African expression into the service. When the offering is taken up the old pedal organ and Scottish psalter are replaced by African drums and a local beat that gets the worshippers out of the pews and dancing down the aisles to present their gifts. One foreign visitor said it was the only time in the service when the people smile.
Maybe we need to take a lesson from those people and stop assuming that giving, rather than being something we do with reluctance, is actually a source of joy. After all, the Bible does say that God loves a cheerful giver.’