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Ministry Fair
Sunday Special!
Lessons We're Learning About Life As Christ's Extraordinary Servants!
I'm having so much fun! This Ministry Fair weekend is like opening a treasure chest. So many of God's extraordinary servants have jumped up and said, "You bet! Our team would love to share what we're doing in ministry!" Every display is like a jewel. This is a really important step for us as we learn to be more and more focused on meeting the needs of others.
Jesus died to assure us of a place in his eternal kingdom, a place of perfect joy and nothing but continual celebration, but in his perfect wisdom and love, he has left us here on this earth for a short time first. Little children sometimes pray, "If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." (That's a little disturbing, by the way, to teach to little children. I like, "Guard me through the starry night and wake me when the sun shines bright.") But anyhow, the best verse is the one that follows: "If I should wake before I die, I pray the Lord to show me why!"
I'll give you a hint about why God woke you today. God saved you, blessed you with Christ's love, filled you with his Holy Spirit, connected you to other Christians in your church home and woke you up today because he has a plan to use you for his kingdom purposes! Jesus died for the disciples, rose again to bless them and assure them of their salvation, then, before he departed into the presence of the Father, promised them the Spirit and sent them to share the saving love of Christ in their words and deeds until he returns.
And that's what we celebrate on this Ministry Fair Sunday, the wide variety of ways God has called us and the ways in which, by the leading of his Spirit, we are following. In no particular order, here are ten of the many dozens of things I'm learning about living as extraordinary servants of Jesus Christ.
1. All Christians are, by their nature, extraordinary servants. There are no exceptions. When we're baptized into Christ, we're immediately placed on the team. So... we need to strive together to help everyone, from the time we learn to speak and do the simplest tasks until our last days on earth, discover their unique calling, giftedness and service in the Lord's work!
2. The only way to truly discover our gifts is by trying a wide variety of kinds of service. In our Gift-Oriented Ministry discovery process, we ask how God has blessed your words or your service or your teaching or your serving. We can't respond that he has used us in a particular way if we haven't tried it! So... It's important to join in and try things we maybe never thought we'd be good at and not be discouraged, but know that God will show us the best use of our gifts!
3. We're talking about stewardship. We often define stewardship as, "The free and joyous activity of God's child and God's family the church, in managing all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes." Every moment of every day and every activity of every child of God is stewardship, responding to God's love, recognizing all of life as his gift to us and using all we are and have to his glory. So... life is worship. We display moment by moment our love for God in how we utilize our minds, bodies and resources for his purposes.
4. We have been given all we need to do all God has for us to do in this world. There is no supply problem. In God's economy, he supplies the gifts of the Spirit, the extraordinary servants, the financial resources and the opportunities to reach out in love to others. We have simply failed in our use and distribution of God's good gifts. So... we repent of past selfishness, and in his love and forgiveness, start over again each day offering all we are and have to Jesus.
5. Some serve best by speaking, some by doing. Not everyone is good with words. Some serve best by their loving tasks, done to make life better for someone else. Peter said it simply and brilliantly, "If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with all the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 4:11). So... Just do it. Or just say it. Always to the glory of God.
6. Only half of what we are called to do as a congregation will be on display at the Ministry Fair. One half of our service will be through the ministries of the congregation: our fellowship groups, our music and our educational ministries. But another half of what we do is done by our members in their homes and neighborhoods and places of work and schools when they are finding ways to impact others with the love of Christ in the multi-faceted variety of service that we are involved in every day. So... if your service doesn't get mentioned in the church bulletin or calendar, keep on going. God is with you and will be blessing the world through you!
7. We change. God grows us through the years. It is very likely that God is using your present calling in service to teach you about your gifts and to lead you, sooner or later, into a new area of service. He might lead you on a path where one success after another takes you to your ultimate calling, one you could never have imagined when you started. He might use your present service to close a door, to show you that he has something else in mind. So... always keep your mind and heart open to God's next level of ministry for you!
8. Called workers in the church have a rare and holy privilege, a special stewardship. Jesus, "gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up..." (Ephesians 4:11f). Not only are my own gifts entrusted to our care, but God gave us the responsibility for helping all of the people discover, develop and deploy their gifts for the work of the kingdom. So... pray for your church workers because the task is far beyond our capacity. Only when God is at work through our humble offerings of service will his purposes be accomplished.
9. Regardless of your calling and gifts, the number one act of service is what Dr. Kieschnick calls the Critical Event: "When one Lutheran Christian gives witness about Jesus of the hope that is within him or her to another person so that person may encounter Christ." So... find a way to put into words what Jesus Christ has done for you and share the good news whenever you can.
10. Every moment of every day presents an opportunity to serve Christ. Give a smile. Offer your help. Make a phone call. Whisper a prayer. God is always present and ready to work through even the simplest acts of kindness and words of encouragement. You don't need to travel to be on a mission trip. So... share the love of Christ right where you are.
Your immediate response mission offering for Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief sent to LC-MS World Relief/Disaster Response totaled over $3200. And your service, represented only in part by the ministries represented in Sunday's Ministry Fair is a testimony of your love and service that God is using to change the world.
See. I told you. God's saving love in Christ does transform ordinary people into extraordinary servants! God is at work, and it’s a joy for me every day to see him at work in you and at work through you. God bless your extraordinary service in his kingdom!