As vacations begin to wind down and school begins to wind up, our church begins to prepare for a new year. There are positions to be filled, ministries to be led, and calendars to be planned – just a few of the challenges the church faces in the upcoming weeks. I find it rather humorous that when the term “Nominating Team” or “volunteers for a particular need” is heard, people go into hiding in hopes they will be overlooked and avoid taking on a particular responsibility that would help serve the advancement of God’s kingdom.
It reminds me of the story of the boss of a big company who needed to call one of his employees about an urgent problem with one of the main computers. He dialed the employee’s home telephone number and was greeted with a child’s whispered, “Hello?” Feeling put out at the inconvenience of having to talk to a youngster, the boss asked, “Is your Daddy home?” The small voice whispered, “Yes.”
“May I talk with him?” the man asked. To the surprise of the boss, the small voice whispered, “No.”
Getting frustrated, the man then asked, “Is your Mommy there?” “Yes,” came the answer. “May I talk with her?” Again, the small voice whispered, “No.”
Wanting to get to someone he could have an intelligent conversation with, the man asked, “Is there any one there besides you?” “Yes,” whispered the child, “a policeman.” Wondering what a policeman would be doing at his employee’s home, the boss asked, “May I speak with the policeman?” “No, he is busy,” whispered the child. “Busy doing what?” asked the boss. “Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman,” came the whispered answer.
Frustration quickly turned to worry as he heard what sounded like a helicopter through the ear piece on the phone and he asked, “What is that noise?” “A hello-copper,” answered the whispering voice. Now alarmed, the boss asked, “What is going on there?” In an awed whispering voice, the child answered, “The search team just landed the hello-copper!”
Completely befuddled, the boss asked, “Why are they there?” Still whispering, the young voice replied (along with a muffled giggle), “They are looking for me!”
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church, he spoke of the church in relation to the human body, teaching that the body was not made up of one part, but of many. And like the body, it takes all the parts working together to function properly and achieve its intended purpose. No one part can say it has no need of other parts as it is reliant on all the parts for it to achieve its best. The point he was making was that God has equipped every person in His church with abilities and gifts to be used to build His kingdom. Keeping yourself and your talents hidden or unavailable creates stress, fatigue, discouragement, and confusion for everybody else.
So if you are not already involved in a ministry or service to the fellowship, it’s time to come out of hiding. Together let’s work to reach new heights for the glory of God and His Kingdom!
To His Glory,
Pastor Bill