Musings on Service

The first weekend of every month our church celebrates communion, which we do in remembrance of Jesus and the sacrifice he gave for us. This is a special time of worship for Christians to come before the Lord and to give thanks for all he has done for us.

This past weekend I had a special opportunity to be a part of preparing communion for our church. I serve at our church with a group of women who provide various services for our church (meals during time of need, etc.). This was my first time to help prepare the juice ("wine") as part of that service (placing and filling hundreds of cups.) What a humbling experience to know that each person who would then take this cup during the worship service was a fellow believer -- some new to the faith, and others who have walked a great many miles with the Lord.

During the service as I watched the trays of juice being passed down the aisles, I felt such a powerful warmth as I watched others take their little cup. I had never thought before about those who prepared such things as these trays.

And then my thoughts turned to others who serve in so many capacities in the church -- those who turn on the lights first thing in the morning or who place umbrellas around the parking lot on rainy days. And then I consider the yummy scones after service and the nice family that greeted me at the door. And don't forget the wonderful teachers who care for Colin each week in the nursery while he does things like hang on the coat rack at snack time. I could go on and on about the choir, the preacher, the sound booth coordinator, the parking lot director, etc., but needless to say, we all have a role in serving.

I continue to seek where I should be serving and what I should be doing with the gifts I have been given. I once coached a little girls basketball team through a special program at our church back in Houston -- after each game they earned a star which was symbolic of some trait we would aspire to (each was tied to a memory verse we would recite together) -- not things like, "top scorer" or "most aggressive." I had a team of 4th and 5th graders who had never EVER played basketball or had never even seen a game played. But my role, as much as it was to teach them about throwing the ball in bounds, was to show them the love of Christ. I also had to show the love of Christ to some parents who were none to easy on the referees, as well. (This is grade school ball, not the Final Four, people!)

I have yet to find a similar program in the area where we live now, and even if I did my responsibilities as a parent of a toddler would make it difficult to serve in the same way. So looking for ways to serve is not just a one shot thing -- it's a continual process and continues to evolve as we enter different stages of life.

Thoughts from others?