Tag Archives: Service

We go forward to serve others not to earn G*d’s love but because G*d loves us through Jesus

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on September 1, 2015
Tags: , Service   

Use Your Salt — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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September 1, 2015

“For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Mark 9:49-50

“In giving admonition we must distinguish between: men and women; the young and the old; the poor and the rich; the joyful and the sad; subjects and superior; slaves and masters; the wise of this world and the dull; the impudent and the timid; the insolent and the fainthearted; the impatient and the patient; the kindly and the envious; the sincere and the insincere; those who fear afflictions and, therefore, live innocently, and those so hardened in evil as to be impervious to the correction of affliction; the meek and the choleric; the humble and the haughty; those who do not even begin to do good and those who begin but do not finish; those who do evil secretly and good openly, and those who hide the good they do, yet allow themselves to be thought ill of because of some things they do in public...” Pastoral Care, Gregory the Great (540 – 604) “For All The Saints”, volume II (p. 451 – 452)

Which are you quickest to hide: the evil or the righteous, the bad or the good? Most would say they try to hide the bad they do, and allow the good to shine in the light of day. If you are someone who will do good only if you will receive either recognition or some kind of reimbursement, then maybe you need to take a step back and assess what you do and why you do it. Jesus says: “When you fast do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-18)

It is not often that we have people who do a lot of ministry and yet do not want any recognition for what they do. But every once in a while I encounter a person or a group who do just that. We have a group at my church who are individually and collectively involved in many ministries, yet they do not want others to know what it is they do. For the Lutheran church, this is a bit of an oddity. Often you look around the church, especially the Lutheran church, and you see plaques and signs recognizing a person or persons who donated this window, or gave that piano. But this group of willing workers do not want the recognition. They have “salt” in themselves and use that salt, not so that others notice, but so they can season the lives of others.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on August 22, 2015
Tags: , Service   

Faith Is A Verb — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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August 22, 2015

Then he (Jesus) will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:45 – 46

“I do not think that anything is comparable to the soul and its salvation. But what wonder that the suffering lose all belief in spiritual things when so many pastors neglect the plainest duties to their wretched and miserable poor? What wonder that reflecting men are disgusted at the religion of our pewed city churches with their awful want of mercy and charity? …The gospel must be lived as well as told, or men disregard it as an idle dream.”
William A. Passavant (1821 – 1894) “Appealing for gifts to rebuild a hospital” “For All The Saints”, volume II (p. 378)

I think one of the greatest challenges for the church today is helping people move from “saying” to “doing — from “believing” to “living”. Our lives have become so “scheduled”, so “prioritized”, that we get caught in the day to day rat race of trying to keep up. Parents of young children spend the weekend running between soccer, ballet, rugby, baseball, basketball, lacrosse practices all the while trying to wash the car, plan a vacation, do the laundry and prepare for another exhausting week. Some may be able to get to church on a Sunday morning, if they can get themselves out of bed, and hear the message of the Gospel, but living it out is just a dream.

And then there are the millennials who are working themselves to death trying to get established in a society that is increasingly difficult to “grab hold of”. Many work more than one job at substantially lower wages than are necessary to pay their student loans as well as rent and food, and so have no time to give even 1 percent of their time, talent or treasure for G*d.

And finally we have the retirees of this society — those who have “done their time” — served on committees and chaired them as well, that they believe retiring from their work means retiring from everything, including work.

So, how do we move from “believing” to “living” — from “saying” to “doing”? I don’t know how to answer that question — for it may be different for each person. But one thing I can say is that the Gospel must be lived as well as told. If we are “followers” then we have to also be “doers” — it is a necessity. Faith needs to be a verb, not a noun. But the only way we will maintain that active part of our faith is to constantly review our priorities. The Gospel must be, must be lived as well as told…..

Pastor Dave