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I have been asked to speak this coming Sunday on service. I am leaning to speak on knowing our limitations and our strengths, strength based leadership and leaning into our strengths.
That is not to say that we never do our part to do janitorial work cuz that is not our thing – but it might mean that we don’t suffer in silence in a calling that we loath when we could be happier and shine more fully as our unique selves somewhere else.
We are all different and that is ok. Explore your unique gifts and contributions to the whole. Zion is unity – not sameness.
I appreciate any suggestions or quotes that might help. You guys and gals are awesome!
What a great topic. Service by doing things, especially organized efforts, is one of the best things about church, I think. The church helps us identify the needs at times, and people are usually willing if someone helps organize. But don’t leave out the service opportunities on an individual impromptu level that are sometimes overlooked, the stuff that doesn’t need planning and organizing. I often find some people just need a listening ear, a friend to bounce ideas or vent to, or just to be told they are OK the way they are without pressure to have to be a perfect mormon or mormon family. Sometimes people don’t want others to come serve them or come fix their problems….they just need kindness in their life to help bolster them and heal wounds.
Individual service through loving connections with others is very powerful.
Roy – Great topic. I second Heber13’s comment on unorganized service. And would add that families can put together there own service experiences. We have done everything from working in the local food kitchen to picking up trash in our neighborhood or the nearby school. Even something as simple as dropping spare change in the Salvation Army buckets at Christmas. I started that when my kids were little, they are all adults now and look forward to making deposits in the red buckets. Recently we put together some kits for the homeless shelter extension. A local church houses people who can’t stay in the family shelters, so we made packets with a towel, toothpaste, soap, toothbrush and so on. It wasn’t hard, the church team was happy to have them.
Another service that I am finding is important is keeping in touch with elderly grandparents. When family reaches out and makes phone calls or visits you really are serving someone else.
And just because I like to get sticking points in, serving the poor and needy is the 4th mission in the church. We don’t talk about it very much, but it’s there and I like to remind people of it. It’s a gentle nudge.
I once talked about service being like the Three Degrees of Glory: Telestial Service (serving only those whom you love / like / see as really good people / with whom you would tend to associate anyway / etc.); Terrestrial Service (serving those toward whom you are neutral but see as generally good people); Celestial Service (serving people like those whom Jesus served: those seen by most people AND YOURSELF as particularly sick, unclean, unworthy, enemies, etc.). I based the talk on the last verses of Matthew 5. I mentioned explicitly that Celestial service is unconditional. For example, hoping someone is baptized as a result of service is Terrestrial service, at best – and, if it is focused only on those whom you believe are ready to be baptized, it is Telestial Service.
I also said that Celestial Service is serving people you automatically assume will end up in the Telestial Kingdom – and serving them even if that assumption never changes because you never see changes in their lievs; Terrestrial Service is focused on those you assume will end up in the Terrestrial Kingdom; Telestial Service is serving those you assume will end up in the Celestial Kingdom. We need to serve everyone, so I’m not saying we never give Telestial Service, but, for example, if all we ever do is participate in projects to serve each other as members of the LDS Church, we are performing nothing more than Telestial Service – and we aren’t being followers of Jesus in a very practical way.
The talk was very well-received.
One of my guiding star scriptures is Jacob 2:17 – “Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance….”I agree. What a great subject to be able to speak on you have so many examples of service from the scriptures in the life of Christ. One of the things that appeals to me most about scouting is the opportunity to be able to do so much service, service projects, and be able to him a service oriented mindset.
One of my favorite quotes is to leave a place better than when you found it. Which goes a long way in terms of service.
Love God and love your neighbor. Service is a nutshell. I know I take a simplistic approach but there it is.
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