I read this quote on Ken Meyer’s blog that struck a chord in me. It’s by his senior pastor on a video. He says,
“The church isn’t here to get from the community. We are here–sent by God–to SERVE the community. There is something marvelous about the presence of the church where there is light and hope and praise to God. This place? This church? It’s a place were we meet people on their turf. We make it comfortable and give them a safe place to listen to a service and talk a little to a friend. Serving people in that way may be the bridge that brings them from the parking lot to Christ.”
It made me think of the Scripture Matthew 5:13-16, which states,
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Now, let’s get specific. Think about salt and light. Salt was used to preserve food. Light, well, is light. What do they have in common? They both serve something else. They don’t receive or get anything. Salt doesn’t get anything from the food it preserves, and light doesn’t get anything from what it brightens. It is their purpose.
The same is true for the church. We are called to serve our communities instead of constantly (and I mean constantly) get from our communities. Sometimes, we wonder what our communities can do for us instead of the other way around. Imagine what would happen if we stopped getting and started serving.
