Serving is Spiritual

Written by Glyn Norman

Acts chapter 6 is a fascinating window of insight into the mentality of the early church. A situation had arisen where the Greek widows were being neglected in the daily food distribution program organized by the church. Clearly, some processes had fallen through the administrative cracks. What was needed here, so it appeared, was a good organizer and administrator. But listen to the qualities that they stated were necessary for the task:

Therefore brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, who we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

So, to serve in the food distribution ministry, you needed to have a good reputation, and be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. We might think of this ministry as somehow "lesser" than the more prominent roles of preaching and teaching, but the requirements show how key it is. At every level, from those who are full time ministers, to those who volunteer, we need to be people of good character, seeking God and making good decisions.

This Easter, we are in need of people of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wise. There are a multitude of roles to fill, from parking lot attendant, to greeter, to usher, to communion servers and offering takers, to children's ministry and beyond. None of these roles is "lesser." At every point you have the opportunity to represent. To new people, you ARE this church, and the way you welcome them, serve them, show them where they need to go etc. speaks volumes.

Our Vision statement says that we aim to win the world for Jesus, one person at a time. You might think that "one person at a time" is redundant since winning the world includes all people. But we put that there for a reason. To emphasize the point that every person matters. Every person is important. And we want every one of them to have a great experience of Central at Easter.