Monday, July 7, 2014

Just Serving at Home

I was going to write a book review, but I think I’ll save that for tomorrow.  In today’s post, I want to mention something that I love about my church.

One of the churches in which I grew up made a big deal about becoming a deacon or elder.  It was a sign of status.  People would make political moves to become a deacon or elder.  The church actually split because one person was made a deacon, while another was not.

My Dad was rather critical of all these political moves to become deacons.  He said that a deacon is a servant, and he wondered why a person could not just serve, without the fancy title.  Many people, however, want the glorious title!  Just serving is not enough for them.

At the Presbyterian church that I currently attend, it does not seem to me that people make a big deal about being a deacon or elder.  We have them, but I don’t see people clamoring for the positions.  I think of one guy who was made a deacon, I think it was last year.  He cleared out the snow at church.  He did that before he was a deacon.  He did that after he became a deacon.  He just served.  He didn’t care about the glory.  That seems to me to be the case with other deacons and elders at my church.  They just serve.  And I am allowed to serve, too, without having a fancy title.

Part of the issue, I think, is that many at my church have been living in the area and going to that church all of their lives.  It’s home for them.  People care about their home, and they serve it, without giving a second thought.  People who may not see a place as home, however, may be more likely to seek acceptance, through high-ranking positions, for instance.

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