(Note: This is the third installment in a series of emails to the SJs family.)
So, you join in worship with God’s saints regularly. Great! You were made to worship. You glorify God as he deserves, and, as a benefit, it’s good for your own well-being and spiritual growth.
So, you fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. Wonderful! You are digging deeper in the scriptures in Sunday school or a class. You are developing connections and caring relationships with other people.
But are you ready for the next step?
If so, it’s time to serve. In serving we take more tangible steps of loving others, acting as the hands and feet of Christ. And, like worship, serving shapes us. As Jesus took on the nature of a servant, so we humble ourselves in service to others, growing to be more like him.
Let’s be clear. Serving is not always easy, but you probably already knew that. Sometimes you will see the reward. At other times serving is an exercise in walking by faith. In other words, you may not see the impact you’ve made until much later in life. (Think, for example, of how a teacher influenced you but you didn’t realize it until years later.) It’s even possible you won’t see the impact until we all gather around the throne of grace. But that’s okay. Serving isn’t ultimately about you.
So how do you begin serving others? It’s simple. Open your eyes and ears, paying attention to the opportunities around you. Yes, we need servants in the church (help!) but the world needs help too. Your neighbors and co-workers and family need help.
The where and when of serving is rooted in where and who we are. What does your community need? What do the people around you need? What gifts and resources do you have to meet those needs?
Frederick Buechner nicely provided a starting place for discerning where and how we should serve when he wrote, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
Through our worship, fellowship, and service, we offer the world that robust public witness to the gospel I mentioned last week. It’s a witness our world desperately needs.
Worship. Connect. Serve!
Reverend John
PS This Sunday we’ll continue in Acts 19 for the sermon—The Gospel is a Riot. Join us at 9 or 11. And here are the links to the past two posts/emails.
Final Projects... 