Wednesday's Devotion: One More Simple Thing

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest.

Yesterday I wrote about three simple things Rev. Steven Soulen said a church should do to grow. They were to be in prayer, develop relationships and develop leaders.  I wrote that as individuals, we could do the same.  Steven talked about a 4^th element, too.  He said a church must be missional.  He said being a church in mission is a spiritual discipline.  A church that isn’t reaching out in mission to the needy and spreading the gospel isn’t a vital church by Methodist standards.

Here’s where it gets dicey.  I missed much of what he said on this subject because my phone kept ringing and I had to run out to answer it.  The team leader from a mission team of Methodists from Kentucky who had been building a church in Haiti called to touch bases with me.  We let them spend the night in the church the night before they flew from Atlanta to Haiti and provided breakfast for them. They were in Ft. Lauderdale on the way back to Atlanta. I met them later at the church around midnight and they gave us a beautiful carved Madonna and Child signed by the team.  They said through our hospitality we became part of the mission team. Another call came from our new Assistant Pastor for Hispanic Ministry.  We started another session of ESL and Advanced Spanish classes and he wasn’t sure how to lock one door.  The third call was from the teacher of our Monday night children’s program that we provide for the children of the ESL students.  I was too busy doing the business of being a missional church to hear about one!  Like with the first three simple things, as individuals we are called to be people who are compassionate and help the needy.  I call them the least, the last and the lost. Whether it’s a simple act of kindness or a mission trip to Haiti, our life will be rewarded when we help others. Likewise, we want to take every opportunity to share the message of God’s love and grace through Jesus Christ with others.

Loving God, when we are needy please bring people to help us; when we have plenty please bring people for us to help.  We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.