Mindful Service – Sermon on June 27, 2010
June 27, 2010
Scripture: Romans 12: 1-2
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Reflection: Mindful Service
By Rev. Doreen Oughton
Today is our first,hopefully, annual “Worship Through Outreach” Sunday. Today we declare that our actions on behalf of others are a way of giving praise and thanksgiving to God. Martin Luther said of Christian worship “that nothing else be done in it than that our dear Lord talk to us through his holy Word, and that we, in turn, talk to God in prayer and song of praise.” I assert that we can also talk to God and offer praise in our acts of service. Now I know that many of us go through our daily lives performing many acts of service without a sense that we are worshipping God. We are just helping out a friend, or a family member, or responding to a need or a problem we notice. We are just doing our jobs, helping clients or customers or patients. Are we to think of this as worship? Could we?
I would like to encourage you to consider saying yes to this, to recognize all that you do that pleases and honors God, to recognize how it may be the Spirit that calls your attention to a need or a problem, the Spirit that inspires you in the creative and loving ways you care for others, and for the earth. Hear these words by Sr. Joan Chittister, a writer from the Benedictine order: “A spirituality of work is based on a heightened sense of sacramentality, of the idea that everything is holy and that our hands consecrate it to the service of God. When we grow radishes, we participate in Creation. When we sweep the street in front of the house we bring new order to the universe. We tidy the Garden of Eden. When we repair what is broken or paint what is old or give away what we have earned, we stoop down and scoop up the earth and breathe into it new life again, as God did one morning in time. Our work enables us to put our personal stamp of approval on the development of the world.”
Buddhist Jack Kornfield notes that “We all have, without exception, a very deep longing to give – to the earth, to others, to society, to love. It’s true for every human being. And even the ones who don’t find it, it’s because it has been squashed or somehow suppressed in some brutal way in their life. But it’s there to be discovered. We all long for that. And there’s tremendous sorrow for a human being who doesn’t find a way to give. One of the worst of human sufferings is not to find a way to love, or a place to work and give of your heart and your being.”
And so as we close this part of our worship, we rejoice in the chance to satisfy this human longing. Let us remain mindful that the bread we touch, the cold cuts and cookies and peanut butter and fruit cups become sacred in our hands. Enjoy one another’s company and the camaraderie of working together, but leave room to think about God, about how the Spirit grows among us and within us. Give thanks as you work for the opportunity to show your love for God and God’s people.
And might I also suggest that we continue the sense of worship into the Annual Meeting. Let our sharing of information, questions, ideas, and discernment of how best to be a church for God be influenced by a spirit of praise and thanksgiving. Let us envision our committee reports, our bylaws and our budget as elements of worship, tools to express our love of God and our understanding of ourselves as a true body of Christ. May it be so. Amen
