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Getting Involved
I worked at a children’s camp during my summers when I was in college. I learned a great deal from the camp manager. One day we were walking across the campgrounds when he saw a candy wrapper lying on the ground. He stopped and picked up the wrapper to throw in the trash. Then he said. “Most people will just walk by the wrapper on the ground. Some would notice the wrapper and complain about trash lying on the ground. Then there are people who will stop and pick up the wrapper and look for the next opportunity to keep the campgrounds looking nice. What kind of person will you be?” That lesson stuck with me.
In the church a lot of people come to worship, but they never really see what is going on around them. It is good that they come to worship. In fact, the first step to becoming involved in the church is to show up at worship every Sunday. Showing up is a start but also it is important to connect with others in worship and before and after worship.
My boss at camp encouraged me to keep my eyes open and look for things that needed to be done. If it was something I could fix, then fix it. If I needed help, then I was to ask for help and fix it. If it was a big enough challenge that it would take greater resources, I would bring the task to him. If I had a plan to solve the problem, then he would listen to me and enlist my aid in the solution.
We live in a world full of problems. Paul tells us the creation itself was subject to frustration. (Romans 8:20-21) Some problems in our world are easy to see. This is the reality of sin. Maybe because of sin we get desensitized to the problems in our world. It is like seeing a piece of trash on the ground and walking by it instead of picking it up. We rationalize that someone else will pick it up. Maybe we think that one piece of trash is not significant enough to bother with. I hope you see the problem with these responses. By ignoring the problem, it grows.
Another response to the problems we see is to focus all our energy on discussing the problem with others. This is counter-productive and only magnifies the problem. Instead of picking up the piece of trash we tell everyone we see. “Look at that trash, someone ought to pick it up”. Another response is to get overwhelmed by the problem and despair that there is no solution. This leads to apathy and inaction. “Why should we be involved if people can’t even keep their trash picked up.”
The church locally and nationally will always face challenges. There is a shortage of leadership in the church. Churches experience financial challenges. It is hard to keep young people engaged etc... The world demands more and more of our time. We are overextended and we forget to worship and honor our God. Our lives are cluttered with so much trash.
What kind of person will you be? Will you see something or someone that needs attention and lend a hand. Or will you look the other way. Maybe you will just tell others and complain. Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) telling us that we should love our neighbor. This means we should get involved. The writer of Hebrews encourages us to be faithful in worship. We do this to stir up one another to love and good works. “24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
Getting involved is not waiting for an invitation. It is not letting someone else carry the load. It is not sitting back to see what happens. It is seeing problems as an opportunity to be part of a solution. To do that you have to be willing to get involved.
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