I had the opportunity to attend a retirement celebration this past Sunday evening for a pastor who had faithfully served his congregation for 30 years on neighboring Hilton Head Island. It was a beautiful evening, filled with stories, laughter, pictures, and touching tributes that brought about more than a few tears. The room could only hold maybe 200 people, but every seat was filled and no one wanted the evening to end. This was a man who had selflessly served his community, and all in attendance wanted to pour back into him the love that they had received from him over the last three decades.
For five of those years, back some 20 years or so, my family and I were members of his flock, so for me this was far more than just enjoying the honoring of a co-laborer for Christ. When we first started attending his church, I was still relatively young in my faith and in need of a mentor, and this man of God was willing and able to shepherd me along my journey. He invested in me, sharing his time and encouraging me, ultimately giving me opportunities to serve alongside him. Each of the stories told during his celebration resonated with me, but nothing fully captured the impact that this man had on my life. My daughter understood part of it when she mentioned that she could see his influence in how I preach, but even that only touches a portion of what he has meant to me.
This one man significantly impacted my life and the lives of many others because he was faithfully serving God as he had been called to do. While we are grateful for that, we aren’t surprised by it, because that is what pastors are supposed to do. However, what many fail to realize is that we are all called to invest in each other with selfless service, in what the 16th Century theologian Martin Luther would refer to as the ministry of the ordinary. In the course of an ordinary day, regardless of avocation, a person seeking to do the will of God will positively impact the lives of others with an attitude of loving their neighbor, however that may present itself.
There have been a few people in our community who will never be confused with a member of the clergy, yet have led lives with the similar sort of positive impact as my pastoral brother. These are people who led their lives looking at others instead of themselves, finding significance by helping others get where they wanted to go. These are the people who would stop if they saw you stopped at the side of the road, and ask if you needed a hand. They would help you mend fences, literally or figuratively. They would teach you while they helped if you were receptive to a lesson, or they would simply help if that is what you needed the most. Like my former pastor, they poured themselves into the community, allowing their ordinary daily lives to be a blessing to those around them. And like my former pastor, they have helped to influence the way I live my life today.
All of us have been called to be a blessing to others, and the more who answer that call, the greater our community becomes. Would you consider how you might be a blessing to someone in the course of your ordinary activities today?
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron