Serving with a Smile

by Erin Bird

I need to start with an announcement that I forgot to make on Sunday.

This coming Tuesday, July 12, the Waverly Food Bank will be taking place. Each month, many of you arrive and serve so graciously. (You have no idea how honored and proud I am to be your pastor and part of your church family when I see you serving the community so beautifully!)

But we have a problem.

This coming week is ALSO the first-ever Waverly Community VBS. Many of you have also very generously signed up to serve the kids of our area. But this means that you will be at the High School serving with VBS and not at Vineyard serving with the Food Bank.

Therefore, if you are serving at the Food Bank and not at VBS, can you recruit a friend or two (or twelve) to join you? Because VBS is not only taking some of the Riverwood servants out, but also volunteers from Vineyard, Orchard, and Open Bible who also serve at the Food Bank.

And if you are serving at VBS, can you also try to recruit one or two (or twelve!) people to go volunteer at the Vineyard?

Serve with a Smile

As we serve our community this coming week, whether through the Food Bank or through VBS, can I encourage you to serve with a smile?

In both Ephesians 6 and Colossians 3, Paul writes to slaves. Slavery, in his day, was very different than the slavery that exists in our day, the primary difference being that slavery in our day is completely illegal, while in Paul's day, it was completely legal and normal.

But despite the normalcy of slavery, many slaves had a very hard life. That's why Paul's words are surprising. In both letters, he basically says to them...

"Serve with enthusiasm. Work wholeheartedly."

How can he tell a slave to do this? What if they have a harsh master? What if they aren't treated kindly? What if the demands are too much?

How can Paul expect a slave to serve with enthusiasm?

Because of what he says next:

"Serve as if you are serving the Lord."

Jesus died for your sins. He loves you immensely. So if Jesus asked you to do something, you would do it happily and wholeheartedly, as if your life depended on it. So if you would serve Jesus that way, then serve your master the same.

I think this extends to how we serve each month at the Food Bank or next week at VBS. You might help someone at the Food Bank who can do nothing but complain. Or you might have an unruly kid in your group at VBS. In those moments, you don't want to serve with enthusiasm, you want to smack someone across the face!

But when you look at that person, and realize you are ultimately doing this for Christ because He loved you first and served you by going to the cross for you, even though you didn't deserve it, you can serve them with a smile!