From the Pulpit: Show UP!
Greetings to each and every one of you from God our loving heavenly Father and our living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope and pray that this article finds all of you well now that we are ending the ninth month of the year and are heading into the last quarter quickly!
I have a question for you: “Where do you see a need in our community that you can fill individually, or your congregation could fill as members of the body of Christ?” At times, this is an easy question. We see needs around us all the time. As the temperatures fall, we know there are people in our lives in need of winter clothes, blankets and other items to keep them safe and warm. We also know about the needs surrounding hunger and food poverty that are in our midst as well.
When we see these needs, many of us tend to be quick to respond. It is fairly easy for us to pick up one more winter coat at the store and give it to an organization that is clothing our neighbors. It is also simple for us to pick up one more can of soup or vegetables to put into a grocery store for the local food banks.
Other needs in our community are not always as easy for us to see. To find these needs, there are times when we need to have conversations with the people that God has placed in our lives to find them. For example, a couple of days ago, I was in a conversation with teachers in our community, and I asked them questions about substitute teachers and education assistants. They told me that it can be challenging to find people to come in when teachers need days off for various reasons. I also had a conversation with someone else about volunteer needs in their organization, and they told me it is getting harder to find people who are willing to give of their time and energy to help their neighbors in need.
When these needs go unmet, there are real consequences for our community. I know, as a former teacher, when I could not get a substitute for my class, the students lost out on a day of learning, and we fell behind by one or more days. When other volunteer needs go unmet, people lose out on activities and social connections.
What would happen if we, as people of faith, looked for new places to share the gifts, talents and abilities God gave to us. Would it be possible for some of the unmet needs to get met. Would we make a difference in the life of our community, in the life of our people and in the life of the world?
I think we can make this kind of difference. God gave us our passions and abilities, so that we could serve our neighbors. Just as we are given physical resources, we are also given talents to make an impact on the people we know and love. We are the ones who are called to meet these unmet needs. We are the ones who are being sent into the world to share what God has given to us and to invite them to help us meet certain needs. When we come together and share our abilities in this way, amazing things are possible. Communities grow and flourish. Relationships are built that are fed and nourished by Jesus himself. It is pretty awesome to watch!
Just a thought…
Pastor Josh
