This reflection comes from the monthly newsletter The Word. For the entirety of the October newsletter, click here!
As I reflect on the general operations of a church – from the numerous coffee hours, funeral receptions, parish life events like ice cream socials and Oktoberfest (coming to us this year on Friday, October 4!), the grounds and building care necessary for the maintenance of the building, to the swaths of people who support on Sunday mornings from Altar Guild to lectors to the choir – I am truly astonished and humbled. The sheer number of people and the total number of hours that are spent maintaining and supporting our church alongside the clergy and staff is, when you really think about it, jaw-dropping.
It is abundantly clear to me that the act of serving and participating in the life of the church is not just volunteerism, but a profound act of worship.
The buzzing activity of this parish reminds me very much of the early church in Acts 2. We have people from all over the world, with all different backgrounds and careers, from all different ages and experiences of life. People in the early church “ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people” (Acts 2:46-47). Sounds familiar, right?
All of us who engage with the holy spaces of St. Alban’s, even the simple act of being here in person as a worshipping member of the community, are participating more fully in the life of Christ, in the living memory of the early church, and in the continued dynamism of the hands and feet of Jesus, as St. Paul writes, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27) . There is something sacred – dare I say sacramental – in being and doing within a church. Indeed, I am convinced that the working, serving, praying, and being with one another is a critical way by which we engage with the God of All Reality.
If you have been hesitant to serve in some capacity here, if you have been hesitant to join a group or to try reading the Scriptures on Sunday mornings, or to serve as a crucifer, consider that this offering of your time and skill in worship is an offering and a sacrifice to God. It is an offering which contributes to our joined action in the worship of our Lord Jesus Christ ever more fully. We serve because He first served us, and we recognize the gift that “from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:16). Amen!
