Day 6: Called to serve the church
Bible: Read Romans 12:1-13
‘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.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.’
Read the passage through a couple of times. What words stand out to you from this passage? Why are they important for you today?
Reflection:
Here is another passage from Paul’s letters where he refers to the church as the body. Once again, he reiterates that each member of the body is called to a different ministry, but that each member of the body is connected to the other members. The themes of unity, equality and diversity are key in our understanding of what it means to be the body of Christ.
How has God called you to serve him in the church? This is not the time for negativity, there is no place for comments like ‘I haven’t got a ministry’, ‘I’m not good enough to do that’ or ‘so and so is so much better than me because she does this’.Remember we are all loved equally, and all called to serve him. Remember the person that offers a warm welcome to a new person who sits next to them in the pew is as important and valued as the one who leads the service or preaches. Think about what you do in church, however small or insignificant you think it is remember it is of great value to God.
Prayer:
Light a candle, put on some gentle music. Read the scripture passage again if it will help focus your prayers. Sit for a few moments in silence.
Think about this question: What you are doing now to serve the Lord in your church? Pray for all those involved in that ministry whatever that is, from arranging the flowers, making the refreshments to preaching on a Sunday and then in the silence, offer this next prayer to the Lord: “Do you want me to do anything else for you, Lord? I am ready to do what you would want me to do, make it known to me Lord, in Jesus’ name. Amen”
Wait in the silence for a few minutes.
Do you feel that God has spoken to you? In the days ahead, look and listen for God’s answer to your prayer, he might speak to you through a friend, stranger, your parish priest, the scriptures… the list is endless…
Paul