House Astorga

Seminary Journey, Worship, Musings

The Basket

Written by

Rene Astorga

,

The pastor of the church I grew up in was named Herb Valero.  His church had a lively worship culture. People sang, danced, clapped their hands. Full congregation participation. It was pretty great. We’d always sing a song that I don’t fully know the name of, but it was simple, and beautiful worship song. 

You alone deserves eh glory
You alone deserve the praise
By your blood you have redeemed us
You washed away our guilt and shame

So I will praise you in the morning
As the sun begins to rise
You are glorious
You are marvelous
*something something something*
What a mighty God
*something something *
Everlasting prince of peace. 

(if you know the lyrics… kindly fill me in.) Anyway. Since you’re here I might as well tell you a good story. 

This pastor, early in his days of following the Lord was confronted by one of his fellow brothers in church why the he didn’t put anything in the offering basket when it came by. Pastor Herb looked at him and answered, “I put my self in the basket”. 

Cool story, right? 

The bible describes 5 kinds of sacrifices that you are to bring to the Lord in the tabernacle (the place where you meet with God). One of those offerings is the burnt offering. This offering was completely burned up. There was no left over anything in the process but ash. The priests didn’t eat it, you didn’t eat it. Completely offered up. 

That sacrifice was meant to represent the worshipper. A full and complete offering of your life. All the way. Every last bit. Nothing left over. You couldn’t be burned up, because you’d be dead, but the animal could represent you as it was literally lifted in the smoke to heaven. 

Romans 12:1 says to offer ourselves as living sacrifices. That means we offer up our lives, but we still go on living. It seems like the Old Testament never really went away in the aspect of worship, rather the sacrifices were fulfilled in Christ. But we are still to offer up our lives. That hasn’t changed. 

So, my pastor was on to something that I wasn’t on to then. I thought he was just cleverly answering the fellow. I thought he was just defending himself in a way that made him look better than the dude was accusing him of being. Turns out this was an utterly biblical and right thing to do. 

Kicker? He always told that story at offering time. Double kicker? It’s not offering time, and we are still admonished to offer up our whole lives to the Lord. 

One response

  1. Dr Banerjee Avatar
    Dr Banerjee

    That memory of the church alive with singing, dancing, and clapping hands brings back the raw energy those spaces could generate — nothing restrained, everyone fully in it, voices and bodies moving together. The partial lyrics you share have that straightforward beauty common to those old worship tunes: direct, repetitive, carrying the weight of redemption without needing complexity. Pastor Herb’s line — “I put my self in the basket” — lands as more than a clever reply; in the context of that full-throated praise, it feels like the natural extension, where the offering isn’t separate from the sound you’re making but part of the same act of giving everything. Linking it to the burnt offering and Romans 12:1 makes the connection clear: worship that consumes the whole self, leaving nothing held back, whether in song or silence. It’s a reminder that the best moments in those gatherings weren’t about polished performance but about presence — the kind that turns noise into something deeper. Thanks for sharing the story; it’s got that quiet power that sticks.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment