I write this column the day after praying for the children’s workers for the new quarter, honoring Margaret Goodwin for 20 years of service as coordinator of funeral meals, and praying for David Gulliford and blessing him with an offering as he heads off for Rhema. My heart is full. It is sad to see someone who has been such a vital part of LWFC leave, even if it’s just for a few years, but I’m thinking about it now in the context of everything else we did yesterday.
The children’s workers, Margaret, and David. These are shining examples of faithful service. We highlighted David’s service over the years be-cause we were sending him off, but our church has been blessed by a number of faithful men and women over the years. It’s why we still thrive as a church. There are so many things to be done, and everybody is good at something; certainly better at some things than others are. I preached a sermon on Wednesday night a few weeks ago about what Jesus had to say about greatness in the kingdom and serving.
The text was in Matthew 20, where the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus asking for Jesus to grant that her sons would sit at His right and left hand when He came into the Kingdom. If you have questions about what that means, ask me or get the message online. What I want you to see is that Jesus responded by saying, essentially, that promotion doesn’t come (in God’s economy, especially) by seeking promotion. It comes from being a servant to all. Interestingly, Jesus does not condemn the principle of seeking greatness; He simply offers a path that is radically different from the path the world embraces.
Our Children’s Church teachers, our ushers, sound men, bookstore workers, praise and worship leaders, cleaners, social committee, youth work-ers, Royal Ranger leaders, and others are not seeking glory; they are seeing a need and meeting it! See a need and meet it; that is the path to greatness in the Kingdom of God.
Specific ministry opportunities, or opportunities to serve (same thing) arise constantly. What can you do? Ephesians 4:16 says (at the end of what has to be one of the longest sentences in the Bible): “from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
Do you share my desire to see this local body grow? Then partner with us in serving one another as we serve God and our community and world. You may have a specific talent that we need. Not everyone can lead praise and worship. Not everyone can lead a small group. But there are some things everyone can and should do:
- Pray. For each other. For the LWFC as a body. For your pastors. For the lost.
- Be here! Jesus was about building the church. I am not His body. You are not His body. WE are His body. We express Him most fully and accurately when we are together, so make it a priority to assemble at every opportunity.
- Give. The word “supply” in the above scripture is quite appropriate to our year of giving. When facing a financial need, we rightly stand on the promise that “…God will supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Each joint should supply what only it can supply, but each joint should also supply what EVERY joint can supply. You can bank on this: those most active in service are by and large the most faithful in giving. And giving almost always comes first, because “where your treasure is, there your heart WILL BE also.”
I thank God often for the privilege of pastoring such a great congregation of gifted, giving, serving people, and I’m excited about what God has in store for us. It’s going to be a great school year!
With You in Christ,
