Romans 13:8-10
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Mark 16:15
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
You may have noticed that there was no video, no message posted for last week. That’s because I was attending the Disciple’s Annual Regional Gathering here in Northern California–Nevada. I was away several days, then arrived home Saturday night just in time to crawl into bed and grab a few hours of sleep before getting up Sunday morning and diving straight into morning worship.
No time for writing out a formal message, no time for recording and posting one. My message in church that morning was entirely “winging it” with a lot of Q & A as I tried to share some of what I had received at Gathering. The only problem, if abundance is ever a “problem,” is that there was just so much, I struggled to make a coherent story out of explaining it.
I faced the same issue once again when I attempted to describe it all in the brief newsletter we send out every week – there was too much to share in too small a space – so I ended up with one paragraph. I wrote:
I can’t begin to fit it all here in this small space so I’m just going to tell you my favorite thing about this gathering and that is it’s beautiful diversity! Both female and male preachers, and leaders from all over the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Black, white, East Asians, Pacific Islanders, Latin Americans, young leaders, older leaders — some are pastors, some are chaplains, some are teachers, some lead through their music. Some lead through national ministries. Some work in urban settings, some in the country. Some big churches, some small. We are so richly blessed in the diversity of gifts and in the people with whom we share this region!
So, that’s our starting point today – but I want to expand it out into the wider world and share with you some more of the amazing things that followers of Jesus do, whether as part of a recognized “titled” position in a church or by working with a large multi-national organization or in the various things people do on their own initiative, things like:
These are just random first thoughts -- the list could go on forever. The ways we can minister to each other, whether ‘officially’ or ‘unofficially’, is endless.
Several people I know in our Region have repeatedly gone out to sites in the aftermath of nature’s catastrophes and spent a week or more, under the guidance of a local DOC church, helping to clean up and rebuild. Others serve on regional committees, all up and down our large region. Others volunteer to teach required Continuing Ed. Classes, or head Search Committees.
We here at Church of the Open Door, have chosen to focus on two entities that serve the unhoused and/or food-insecure in our local area--Plowshares and our local food bank. But that does not begin to come close to the ways we reach out to others to help.
I’m not saying all this to show how marvelous we are, honest, but instead, to help us recognize the many, many, many ways to show our love for God’s people in our actions.
We are followers of Jesus, our Lord and brother, who long ago told us to “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to all creation.” That Gospel of loving one another can be preached so many different ways and people from our region are living out that love of neighbor in some pretty wonderful ways – some big, some small – all of them done because someone, somewhere cares.
In a possibly apocryphal story St., Francis of Assisi once instructed his friars to “Preach the gospel at all times -- and if necessary, use words.” Sometimes, actions say more than words.
So, think about it. What do you do, what have you known others do, that may not show up on any church’s “official “ ministries list—things that are most certainly ministering to our brothers and sisters around us? How have you been ministered to by others? How have you loved others as you love yourself? How far does our love reach?
No time for writing out a formal message, no time for recording and posting one. My message in church that morning was entirely “winging it” with a lot of Q & A as I tried to share some of what I had received at Gathering. The only problem, if abundance is ever a “problem,” is that there was just so much, I struggled to make a coherent story out of explaining it.
I faced the same issue once again when I attempted to describe it all in the brief newsletter we send out every week – there was too much to share in too small a space – so I ended up with one paragraph. I wrote:
I can’t begin to fit it all here in this small space so I’m just going to tell you my favorite thing about this gathering and that is it’s beautiful diversity! Both female and male preachers, and leaders from all over the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Black, white, East Asians, Pacific Islanders, Latin Americans, young leaders, older leaders — some are pastors, some are chaplains, some are teachers, some lead through their music. Some lead through national ministries. Some work in urban settings, some in the country. Some big churches, some small. We are so richly blessed in the diversity of gifts and in the people with whom we share this region!
So, that’s our starting point today – but I want to expand it out into the wider world and share with you some more of the amazing things that followers of Jesus do, whether as part of a recognized “titled” position in a church or by working with a large multi-national organization or in the various things people do on their own initiative, things like:
- Buying a homeless person lunch
- Gathering food for a local Food Bank
- Helping an elderly neighbor with their shopping
- Honestly listening to someone who is troubled and just needs to know that someone hears them
These are just random first thoughts -- the list could go on forever. The ways we can minister to each other, whether ‘officially’ or ‘unofficially’, is endless.
Several people I know in our Region have repeatedly gone out to sites in the aftermath of nature’s catastrophes and spent a week or more, under the guidance of a local DOC church, helping to clean up and rebuild. Others serve on regional committees, all up and down our large region. Others volunteer to teach required Continuing Ed. Classes, or head Search Committees.
We here at Church of the Open Door, have chosen to focus on two entities that serve the unhoused and/or food-insecure in our local area--Plowshares and our local food bank. But that does not begin to come close to the ways we reach out to others to help.
I’m not saying all this to show how marvelous we are, honest, but instead, to help us recognize the many, many, many ways to show our love for God’s people in our actions.
We are followers of Jesus, our Lord and brother, who long ago told us to “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to all creation.” That Gospel of loving one another can be preached so many different ways and people from our region are living out that love of neighbor in some pretty wonderful ways – some big, some small – all of them done because someone, somewhere cares.
In a possibly apocryphal story St., Francis of Assisi once instructed his friars to “Preach the gospel at all times -- and if necessary, use words.” Sometimes, actions say more than words.
So, think about it. What do you do, what have you known others do, that may not show up on any church’s “official “ ministries list—things that are most certainly ministering to our brothers and sisters around us? How have you been ministered to by others? How have you loved others as you love yourself? How far does our love reach?
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