Service: The Needs Right in Front of You

Aloha friends!

Our Lenten journey as come to an end.  At our final session we

dove the topic of Service.  The video segment featuring Enuma Okoro was powerful and helpful.  Ms. Okoro invited us to reframe our understanding of Christian service from something that had to be done in far away places with grand gestures to something that could be experienced in our neighborhoods rooted in ongoing relationships.

I believe the central idea of her message could be summed up in her statement, "service is rooted in seeing".

• Being attuned to those in our neighborhood.
• Being aware of the needs of others that we pass by everyday.
• Being mindful that in each person is the imago dei, the image of God.

Service grows from understanding the needs around us and being inspired to act because by serving our neighbors, we are serving the  Holy One (Matthew 25).

Enuma Okoro's presentation reminded me of, what I believe to be, a core principle to following the way of Christ.

Available and Willing

In Genesis 3 we hear the first question God asks of creation, "Where are you?"  It is a wonderfully profound question.

Throughout the scriptures we see men and women responding to that question, to the call of God, with three simple, and dangerous, words.

"Here I am."

This posture or disposition, speaks of being available and willing.

Being available and willing is about creating space; space in our mind, space in our heart; space in our schedule.  The creation of space enables us to greet the daily interruptions of another, or an idea or a question with curiosity instead of hostility.  The Holy Spirit rarely makes an appointment and instead shows up in surprising and unexpected ways throughout our lives.   How can prepare ourselves to see our neighbor, to see the needs of others, to see what the spirit is doing in our midst?

We make ourselves available to the spirit of God by lowering the walls of anxiety that distance us from others.  We make ourselves available by resisting the tyranny of the urgent.  Through prayer, meditation, or a myriad of other Christian practices we can center ourselves on God and watch for what surfaces.

When we make ourselves available to God we will soon hear God's call.  The question then becomes, are we willing to take the next step?  Willingness is a matter of stepping forward and being physically, emotionally, and spiritually present.  Willingness is entering into places of vulnerability, uncertainty, and sometimes taking a step of faith when we are unsure about the path’s destination.

Being available and willing is a continuous spiritual practice.