We are happily into November with October in the rearview mirror. I’ve made my feelings about October very clear and I’m happy that it won’t rear its pumpkin-shaped head for another 11 months. In spite of my disdain for October, I did have a great time at our church’s Trunk or Treat this past weekend.
As I wrote last week I’m all for Halloween for kids. Halloween is a great holiday for kids, which has been hijacked by adults. So I loved decorating our car with an Avengers theme and passing out candy to all of the kids who came by our trunk. More than passing out candy, though, I loved helping clean up after the event.
I left my job at the church a little over a month ago. I haven’t really written about it because I’m still processing what I’ve been going through. I know that I’m where God wants me to be, but I also miss working with students so much. And it’s a little weird going to church and hearing people talk about my replacement. As much as I don’t want to think of someone coming in and taking over “my group,” I just can’t help it.
Mostly, though, I just miss serving and feeling like I’m doing something for God’s kingdom. Again, I knew that I would be sacrificing some amount of significance in the short-term for hopefully more significance in the long-term. Even though I knew I would be doing that, I still just want to lead a small group or give a sermon or set up some chairs.
Which is what made the Trunk or Treat so much fun. It was fun to decorate our car and pass out candy. It was fun to tell kids I liked their costumes. It was fun to do something that wasn’t just about me or my brand, but about serving our community. And, when the night came to a close and someone needed to put away the sound system, I was happy to do it.
Putting away a sound system didn’t change the world or lead anyone closer to Christ. It was a simple act of rolling up some cords and putting away some speakers. As I rolled those cords, though, I was reminded about the simple joy of service. Service isn’t about the act; it’s about the heart. Sure preaching is a lot more fun and a lot more impactful than putting away a sound system, but they should both come from the same place. Serving isn’t about us or anything that we can get; it’s about others and meeting their needs. And that’s true whether we’re working with sermons or speakers.
What helps you have the right heart in serving?
Thanks for these honest thoughts, Scott. You clearly have a heart for service, and that’s a gift.
My first few months out of parish ministry were far rockier than I expected, so I think I can empathize. I had no doubt that I was being called out of that context, but I sure ended up a lot grumpier about it than I had anticipated. Apparently, according to my wife — who, being our preacher, could see me quite well every Sunday — I sat in the pews with a scowl on my face all the time. She stopped looking at me, she found it so unnerving! What helped was realizing that the choice was not a “once and done” matter, as I’d assumed. I had chosen to disengage from pastoral work; I now had to choose to re-engage with new work and new opportunities.
Blessings on your journey – thanks for sharing it with us.
Thanks for the encouragement, Mike! Hopefully I didn’t have too much of a scowl on my face when I was passing out candy.