Preparing For Worship – Brianna Childs, pastoral resident.
You may not have been aware of it, but April is National Volunteer Month. The litany we’ll read together this morning, “A Commitment to Care,” celebrates the occasion and reminds us all of the importance of service.
So many Wilshire members volunteer across Dallas, faithfully investing their time and energy into city-transforming work. And the majority do so anonymously, without any desire for recognition or reward (apart from relationships built and meaningful change realized). But oh, what sweet acts of worship this kind of service represents!
Annette Miller, one of Wilshire’s most passionate volunteers, came up with the idea to recognize this morning in worship all who volunteer or serve. Inspired since coming to Wilshire by the community’s “love for everybody and its efforts toward social justice,” Annette hopes the litany of recognition “will help [everyone] see the many ways love can be expressed.” Whether we’re unemployed, work raising families or find our schedules full of all sorts of responsibilities, we can all uniquely offer service to others in worship of God.
That’s the beautiful thing about a life of service: it’s unique to the person living it. The service we uniquely offer others can’t help but be shaped by our own interests, talents, and personalities. If I had to guess, I’d bet the majority of our volunteers would agree that the acts of service they offer impact them as much as those same acts impact those they serve. Volunteering always underlines the mutuality that characterizes our own lives. As we serve, we realize how others have also served us along the way.
This truth drives much of what we do together as the Wilshire family. During the reading of our special litany this morning, we hope you find your commitment to serve — even if it’s in your own home — reinvigorated and renewed. May our time worshiping together this morning inspire you to go out into the world, to serve as Jesus taught us and to practice resurrection all year long.