Dear brothers and sisters in Christ –
Yesterday, Vicar and I were visiting with a shut-in member. I came to serve communion, but I always spend time getting caught up. As we visited I would ask questions – open ended questions and would receive simple answers, and it wasn’t long and silence filled the air. All of the conventional conversations – weather, health, etc. – were gone. So I told Vicar more about who we were visiting, and an old memory popped into my mind.
I was visiting this member many years ago at Mercy Hospital. They were lying in a hospital bed and I was talking with her. Out of the blue she said, “You have the nicest teeth.” Looking up and listening, she noticed my teeth. I have never really thought I have nice teeth, although I never needed braces, I have taken good care of them, go decades without cavities, but they are not “Hollywood white” – if you know what I mean. That day she made me feel good by sharing that simple compliment, and in that darkened nursing home room I shared that memory with her. She didn’t remember it, but I told how good it made me feel.
God uses people like us to impact one another and the world. None of us is worthy to be used by God, but He wants to use us. God uses imperfect and unlikely people. His grace is greater than our sin. In Scripture, we find many unusual choices of people God used to fulfill His plans. He called Moses, who had killed an Egyptian, to lead His people from bondage. He chose David, who was a shepherd boy, to become a king. Most of the disciples that Jesus called were merely fishermen. He called ordinary people to do extraordinary things and he also calls ordinary people to do ordinary things.
Are you ready to be used by God – in ordinary and extraordinary ways?
God wants us to have the attitude of Isaiah who said, “Here am I! Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8). When God calls, our lives are in His hands. We are equipped by His grace and embrace His mission on earth. He wants us to be totally committed and available. We are to use more than our money and our prayers. God wants us to be His vehicles and channels through which He works. May each of us ask the question, “What can I do for my church and for God that will make a difference in the lives of others?” God will show you opportunities for service.
God bless,
Pastor Hartwig