Christ-Centered Service
In the first lesson we covered as a Disciple Bible Study class, we talked about the authority of scripture. I reminded our class that the root word of authority is, “author,” and so we considered together who or what gets to write the story of our lives. Who or what gets to develop the characters, set the plot line, and determine the outcome? I suggested that we allow scripture to have that authority over our lives by fixing the story of our lives within the larger story told in the scriptures. That story tells us of a God who is eternally committed to a covenant with us, intimately aware of our souls, and always gracious in making space for us. That story also tells us that we have a propensity to want to go it alone and write our own ending, but that never delivers what we thought was promised. Instead, the story of scripture reminds us to trust where God leads and let that be our true guide. Within that larger story, then our story has new meaning and true purpose.
On this Friday morning, I would submit to you that our mission statement offers us a similar gift. It allows us, as the unique expression of the body of Christ called Faith United Methodist Church, to write our story with deeper significance. Our mission statement tells us who we are and defines our purpose. Here at Faith, we invite people to Christ-centered service. Our vision for making disciples of Jesus Christ includes putting the towel over our arm and serving those around us. We see this act — reaching beyond ourselves and our needs to bless another — as transformational. This is what continues to show us the truth about God and who we can become when we fully trust God.
This season of pandemic has been so hard because many of the ways we used to engage Christ-centered service together have been lost. We’ve been looking for new ways and we’ve found some, but I know we all feel the loss of not being able to host Family Promise guests in our building, not being able to eat and serve together at Mission Wednesday, not being able to be in the classrooms at Darnaby Elementary. Our mission committee has worked hard to keep service opportunities available in ways we feel are safe enough that we could invite you to participate. You’ve really stepped up for our week to host Family Promise (Sept. 20-26). Right now, the safest way we can host these families is by preparing meals and delivering them to the apartments where the families are staying, at the Lindsey House. All our slots are full! We are also hosting a blood drive in the Great Hall this Sunday, Sept. 20. Blood supplies are low, as they have been all through the pandemic. If you are healthy and can give the gift of life, please sign up to serve in this way on Sunday. You have to set up an account with OBI, if you don’t already have one, but that is a quick and easy process. It also allows you to track all of your blood donations in one place. It is free, of course, to set up an account. I hope you will make an appointment to give blood if it feels safe for you to do so.
We are bringing Mission Wednesday back. It will look different than you remember, but we are excited about a chance to serve together once again. On Wednesday, Sept. 30, at our Wednesday Night Worship, we’ll have supplies for blessings bags and greeting cards. You can pick up supplies for blessing bags, make the bags, and offer one the next time you see someone who needs a blessing. You can also pick up supplies to make greeting cards for those in our congregation who are struggling most with isolation (our homebound and most vulnerable members). For some, connecting online is more than they can do. Receiving a hand-written card, reminding them that we are thinking of them and praying for them, would be a deep blessing. I hope you’ll serve with us in the coming week. Most importantly, I want us to connect again with the identity we find in our mission statement. We are a people who invite. We are a people who serve. We are a people who look for ways to bless others because we know how much Jesus has blessed us.
I look forward to Sunday morning with you. If you are coming in person, make sure you save a seat. It really helps us to know who is coming so we can be prepared to keep everyone safe. I’ve been so blessed to see some familiar faces in the sanctuary. Each Sunday afternoon, I look through the names of those who checked in online and pray for those of you who were joining us on the Livestream. May God bless and keep each one of you during this season.
