Working & Serving

Week 2

Dear Friends in Christ,

We are in stewardship season as Thanksgiving approaches and the end of the Church’s year. (In church life, the new year begins with Advent.) This is our time of year to celebrate our wins, to give thanks for all the gifts we have received, and to focus on our mission for the coming year. We are encouraged to discern how God invites us to grow in generosity in his service. Our theme over these short three weeks is Building Together.

Last week our readings reinforced the idea that the church is so much more than a building. The Church is a gathered people, called together in the name of the Lord for service and worship. Now, admittedly some infrastructure is helpful, a space to gather for worship. In the first centuries Christians often gathered in the courtyard or in the main house of a wealthy Christian, so called “home churches” because they were sacred spaces created in the home so that the members of the Body of Christ could gather peacefully and reverently for worship and to share fellowship.

I imagine that type of arrangement in the church of Thessalonica. Saint Paul wrote two letters to this little church dated about 50 or 51 A.D., less than two decades after the first Pentecost. Our Scripture in focus is taken from the second letter today (2 Ths 3:7-12). This little church is struggling, and Paul seeks to encourage them, clarify some teaching, and keep them growing in the right direction. He instructs them to live good and orderly lives, part of which is not freeloading but working, “keeping busy not acting like busybodies” - great line! It seems some in the community were being lazy or wasting time, not wanting to work, since they thought that the Lord would return soon. Why work if the end is near?

Paul offers his own example for imitation. He calls them to remember how he worked as a tentmaker when he was with them. That despite his dedication to the Gospel, he did not freeload: seeking sustenance in trade for his preaching. Rather he labored in the making of tents so as not to be a burden on anyone. Applying this truth to their lives he advises that “the one who should not work should not eat,” also a memorable line in the Scriptures!

For us at OLPH, our hearts go out to those who are not working due to the government shut down. We are distressed by all the families whose lives are unsettled due to inaction in Washington. Our focus, however, is not so much on work (gainful employment) but on service and ministry. Our parish thrives when all of our members are giving back to the community some of their time and talents. The number of volunteer hours in a week on campus probably doubles our staff! And we are so grateful for the myriad ways that members are willing to serve.

This weekend, we invite all our members to serve in their place of worship as an expression of faith and gratitude. Each of us has been blessed with unique gifts, talents, and time—and together, we can use them to strengthen our shared mission of being church in our little corner of the world. Our parish family flourishes through the many hands, generous hearts, and dedicated disciples who serve together in ministry. We are deeply grateful for all who already give of themselves in so many ways, and we encourage every member to take part in some form of service or ministry. How is God calling you to serve here at OLPH?

In the mission field,

Fr. Joel Wilson