Community Service

Today as I prepare for preaching tomorrow and as I rest from the busy day yesterday, my mind is full of gratitude and joy because of "Community Service".  No not the kind specified as punishment by the court system, that is not a good definition of Community Service.  Rather I am thinking about how God's people come together in community and serve together.  Sometimes it is very official and organized, which is a good thing.  But even more exciting to me is the unofficial, natural getting together to help, to serve and encourage. 

I got to experience this yesterday and I hope to continue to experience it.  People came together to help my son and his wife move into their new apartment.  Some were family, some were friends and even one person was newly introduced there at the move to everyone.  It was a lot of work but it was a lot of fun, people talked and laughed while they helped out.  People came and went as they could give of their time and energy.  The encouragement felt amazing, God used His people in a practical and yet wonderful way.  

It can mean a lot to people when we do this, but there are a couple other things that I was reminded of as well.  The first was that as others experience us coming together like this to serve each other and care for needs we are a living testimony of Jesus.  We can show the community around us that Jesus makes such an incredible difference in us that people from different homes, work places, backgrounds, cultures, etc... can come together in a healthy positive way to make a difference in someone's life.  The second is that everything is an opportunity.  As we serve together and encounter others that we may not know or who may need to know that Lord, we can then make and intentional effort to connect with them more.  As we bring people into this concept of healthy Christian community then we have a greater opportunity to share with them about God and what He has done for us.

So gather together in community and serve the Lord together as you serve one another.  It is an encouragement, a testimony and an opportunity.

Let's walk together!

Pastor Bruce