This past Sunday was a third Sunday of the month which means it was my turn to serve in the preschool area of our church (Kevin and I both work first and third Sundays).
Can I let you in on a little secret?
I am ashamed to admit that I didn't serve with a happy heart. Without going into tons of boring details, I was frustrated that so many parents in our church don't or won't volunteer to help in the nursery or preschool or children's areas.
A few weeks ago, a church in our area (not our church) had something called No Show Sunday.
This is a very large church with lots of people, several campuses and several services. With the exception of childcare workers, they didn't have a single volunteer helping the entire day - no greeters, no parking attendants, no one to run sound or words on the screen, no band, no slick worship guide. Can you imagine? It was a gutsy move on the pastor's part. It started as a response to a comment someone made to the pastor that his church was a "one man show". It was a vivid reminder to the church that I don't think they will soon forget. (I think the parking nightmare alone will be etched in their brains forever.)
His wife blogged about the service(s) here. The pastor used John 2 as his text where Jesus turned the water into wine. One of the points he made was that only those serving got to see the miracle. The wedding guests just tasted the end results (like many church members who just show up on Sundays). Think about it. Only those serving knew that Jesus told them to fill the pots with water. Only those serving knew that they put water in but were dipping out wine. Only those serving knew who told them to do that. They didn't understand why Jesus told them to fill the pots; they just did it and were able to see something amazing happen.
I hope the next time I volunteer I have a better attitude and I remember that only those serving really get to see God at work. I hope I extend grace to those other parents instead of judging them. I'm not their Holy Spirit. I can leave the convicting up to God. I need to rock those babies and think of Colossians 3:17 "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus."
You can see his sermon here.
2 comments:
As I was reading your post I was thinking...that sounds like something Steven would do. How did I know? I grew up with Steven in the small town of Moncks Corner. I just found out about a year ago he was up here in Charlotte as a lead pastor. Craziness!
And I know how you feel. We volunteer for nursery (which is where I am most of the time these days anyways), but I always think about how I'd feel if I knew I was leaving my child with someone who was feeling the way I do at times and my attitude changes. Of course, we only have 7 at the most!
No way! I can't believe you grew up with him. What a small world.
He is very creative and I like that alot!
Sunday I initially had four babies under the age of one by myself. Thank goodness help showed up. :)
Loved the videos on your blog yesterday too. Caleb has skillz!
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